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Latest  Date  stamped  below. 

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ANNOUNCEMENT. 

The  Overland  Publishing  have  now  in  preparaHo7t  a 

Series  of  Illustrated  Descriptive  Hand-Books,  entitled 

'Crofutt’s  Utah  and  the  Great  Basin; 
CrofuWs  Colorado  and  Netv  Mexieo; 

Crof  utt  in  the  Black  Hills, 

How  he  got  there,  and  what  is  to  be  seen; 

Crofutt  Bet/ond  the  Sierras, 

including  Southern  California  and  Arizona. 

These  four  Books,  together  with  the  ''OVERLAND''  will 
contain  over  $ 2 ^,000  worth  of  illustrations,  and  will  embrace 
a full  and  complete  description  of  the  resources  of  these  States 
and  Territories,  in  Mines,  Railroads,  Agricultural,  Pastoral 
and  other  pursuits,  including  scenery,  resorts  for  health  and 
pleasure,  hunting,  fishing,  etc.,  etc. 

These  Books  will  be  in  uniform  Editions,  in  size  and  bind- 
ing, and  will  retail for  the  half  of  the  "Daddyd  Dollar'.' 

THE  OVERLAND  PUBLISHING  CO., 

4SIILAKD  BLOCK.  OlUCaffO,  111. 

—No,  24.—  ° 


BLAKELY  & BROWN,  PRINTERS,  CHICAGO 
Donohuk  & Hennbbkrry,  Binders. 


Utah’s  [".kst  crop. 

Photo^nuphed  from  life,  by  Savaoe,  Salt  Lake  City. 


Wc  were  all  little  jokers  once. 


CROFUTT’S 


NEW  OVERLAND 

TOURIST 

and 

Pacific  Coast  Guide, 

CONTAINING  A CONDENSED  AND  AUTHENTIC  DESCRIPTION  OP  OVER 

One  Thousand  Two  Hundred  Cities,  Towns,  Villages,  Stations,  Government 
■^ort  and  Camps,  Mountains,  Lakes,  Rivers,  Sulphur,  Soda 
and  Hot  Springs,  Scenery,  Watering  Places, 
and  Summer  Resorts;  where 

To  look  for  and  hunt  the  Buffalo,  Antelofe,  Deer  and  other  game;  Trout  Fishhig,  etc,,  etc. 
In  fact,  to  tell  youwhat  is  'worth  seeing — 'where  to  see  it — 'where  to  go — 
ho'W  to  go — aiid  'whom  to  stof  'with  'while  passing  over  the 

UNION,  CENTRAL  AND  SOUTHERN  PACIFIC  RAILROADS, 

Their  Branches  and  Connections,  by  Rail,  Water  and  Stage, 

FROM  SUNRISE  TO  SUNSET,  AND  PART  THE  WAY  BACK; 

Through  Nebraska,  Wyoming,  Colorado,  Utah,  Montana,  Idaho,  Nevada, 

California  and  Arizona. 

BY  GEO.  A.  CROFUTT, 

AUTHOR  OF  “great  TRANS-CONTINENTAL  RAILROAD  GUIDE,”  AND  “ CROFUTT’s 
TRANS-CONTINENTAL  TOURIST.” 


VOL.  1-1878-9. 

CHICAGO,  ILLINOIS: 

THE  OVERLAND  PUBLISHING  COMPANY. 

Sold  by  News  Agents  on  the  Railroads,  at  News-Stands,  and  at  the  Book-Stores  throughout  the  United  States. 

Barkalow  Bros.,  General  News  Agents,  Union  Pacific  Railroad,  Burlington  & Missouri  River  R.  R.  in  Neb.,  Missouri,  Kansas  & Texas 
R.  R.,  Kansas  Pacific  Railway,  and  Colorado  Central  R.  R. 

Eli  S.  Denison,  General  News  Agent,  Central  and  Southern  Pacific  Railroads,  Gen’l  Agt.  for  the  Pacific  Coast,  Sacramento  and  San  Francisco. 
ntereJ  according  to  Act  of  Congress,  in  the  year  1878,  by  The  Overland  Publishing  Co.,  in  the  office  of  the  Librarian  of  Coi^’ress,  at  W asiun;,tun. 


1878-9. 


With  tlie  world  as  the  book  of  nature,  God  as  the  author,  and  the  Bible  as  a 
preface,  the  precedent  for  writing  a preface  is  established;  and  woe  be  to  the  Scribe  who 
ignores  precedent  and  custom — he  could  not  live  on  this  planet. 

At  the  present  day  the  preface  of  a book  is  read  by  the  public— if  at  all-in  the 
light  of  an  apology,  wherein  the  author  is  expected  to  explain : first,  why  he  did  not  do 
better;  and,  second,  why  he  wrote  at  all. 

First— We  have  spared  neither  time,  pains,  nor  money  to  make  this  a perfect 
book.  Our  statements  are  concise^  plain^  unadorned^  and,  we  believe,  truthful  in  erery 
particular.  Yet,  we  would  shudder  at  the  charge  of  being  absolutely  perfect. 

Second— We  wrote  this  book  for  Money  and  Lore.  For  money  to  help  the  poor. 
For  LOVE  of  the  far  western  country-the  land  of  the  “ Golden  Fleece.”  For  love  of 
its  broad  plains  and  lofty  mountains,  its  free  pure  air,  healthful  climate,  magnificent 
scenery,  unrivalled  resources,  and  its  unaffected,  whole-souled  people. 

We  have  taken  the  traveler  with  us— in  a chatty  way— on  the  longest  trip  ever  at- 
tempted by  any  author  in  any  guide  book  in  the  world,  and  have  recorded  a telegram  of 
the  most  important  facts  and  items  of  information  in  a trip  of  5,493  milee  by  rail,  and 
792  miles  by  steamer,  aggregating  6,285  miles,  besides  over  1,000  miles  by  stage  coach. 
We  have  passed  over  the  longest  railroad  line  in  the  world,  the  broadest  plains,  the 
loftiest  mountains,  the  finest  agricultural  and  grazing  lands,  and  the  most  barren  des- 
erts; we  have  climbed  from  sunrise  to  eternal  snow,  only  to  glide  down  into  perpetual 
summer,  and  the  orange  groves  and  vineyards  of  the  “ Land  of  the  Angels.” 

We  have  crossed  a level  prairie  500  miles  in  width,  then  over  the  most  rugged 
mountains,  with  frightful  chasms  almost  beneath  us,  2,500  feet  in  depth;  and  through 
100  miles  of  snow-sheds  and  tunnels.  Again,  we  have  stood  beneath  a dome  rising 
6.000  feet  above  our  heads,  and  trees  400  feet  in  height,  and  48  feet  in  diameter ; have 
strolled  amid  the  redwoods,  where  they  grow  so  thick  that  were  they  felled,  the  ground 
would  be  covered  to  a depth  of  sixty  feet.  We  have  passed  through  the  celebrated 
Echo,  Weber,  Humboldt,  and  Solidad  canyons;  around  “Cape  Horn”  and  the 
“ Dead  Sea,”  down  the  Bitter  and  over  the  Green  and  Black  waters,  echoing  near  the 
“ DeviVs  Slide^^  and  the  great  “ Sink  ” of  the  Desert ; descended  into  total  darkness,  with 
jets  of  boiling  sulphur  on  either  hand,  and  finally  through  the  Devil  s Gate,  but 
landing  safely  at  the  Golden  Gate. 

The  scenery  on  this  route  has  been  the  most  varied ; we  have  been  9,339  feet  above, 
and  266  feet  below  sea-level ; have  taken  our  breakfast  amid  the  eternal  snow,  and  our 


C S^4'n 


I 


supper  iu  a land  of  perpetual  summer,  and  have  glided  down  from  far  above  timber 
line  into  a region  of  continuous  bloom,  where  the  luscious  fruits  ripen  each  day  of  the 
year.  1 

The  author  first  began  his  explorations  of  the  Trans-Mississippi  country  in  1860,  as  I 
a “ Pilgrim,”  and  upon  the  completion  of  the  Pacific  railroad-line,  wrote  the  first 
descriptive  guide  of  the  roads — from  actual  observation — the  “Great  Trans-Continental 
Railroad  Guide”  of  1869.  Soon  “ Crofutt’s  Tourist”  followed,  the  publication  of 
which  was  continued  thereafter.  The  popularity  of  these  books  was  so  great  that  the 
sale  aggregated  344,000  copies.  ** 

The  present  book  describes  more  than  three  times  the  extent  of  country  of  any  book 
heretofore  published,  and  is  profusely  illustrated  by  nearly  100  beautiful  engravings, 
most  of  which  were  photographed,  designed,  drawn,  and  engraved  expressly  for  the 
author  of  this  work. 

Annex — A department  in  the  back  part  of  this  book,  originated  by  the  author, 
under  which  will  be  found  a mass  of  condensed  information,  indirectly  pertaining 
to  the  subject-matter  of  this  work — and  under  which  will  be  found  full  descriptions 
of  all  the  large,  double-page  illustrations  contained  in  this,  our  new  book. 

From  the  first  issue  of  our  book,  in  1869,  imitators  have  been  numerous ; no  less 
than  twenty-fire  “ Guide-books,”  Tourists’  Hand-books,”  and  “ Books  of  Travels  Across 
the  Continent,”  etc.,  etc.,  have  been  issued,  most  of  which  were  compiled  in  the  East — 
without  their  compilers  traveling  over  one  foot  of  the  route  or  at  least  not  spending 
more  than  a few  days  on  the  road — while  we  have  spent  the  best  part  of  every  year 
since  1860  acquiring  the  information, — every  item  of  which  we  are  prepared  to  verify. 

To  newspaper  correspondents  across  the  continent,  our  books  have  proved  a per- 
petual “ God-send,”  enabling  them  to  minutely  describe  the  wonders  of  the  trip  passed 
in  the  night,  while  sleeping  soundly  in  a palace  car,  equally  as  well  as  though  they 
were  and  in  perpetual  daylight.  Now  we  do  not  mean  to  complain  of  these 

flighty  journalists,  as  they  are  all  “good  fellows,”  but  'wq  do  expect  the  courtesies 
usually  extended  by  all  honorable  writers. 

GEO.  A,  CROFUTT. 

Chicago,  III.,  April,  1878. 

iisrxDEx;; 


u 


liAROd  VIEWS. 

No. 

American  Progress 1 

Castellated  Kocks  at  Green 

River 2 

Clear  Creek  Canyon 3 

Boulder  Canyon 4 

Garden  of  the  Gods 5 

Steamboat  Rock,  Echo 6 

Valley  of  the  Yellowstone..  . 7 

Falls  of  the  Yellowstone 8 

Falls  of  the  Williamette 9 

Cape  Horn,  Columbia  River.  10 

Wood  Hauling  in  Nevada 11 

Mirror  Lake,  Yo-Semite 12 

Nevada  Falls,  Yo-Semite 13 

Summit  Sierras 14 

Mt.  Shasta,  California.. 15 

“^State  Capital  of  California ...  16 

The  Geyser,  California 17 

San  Francisco  and  Surround- 
ings  ...  18 


lEL-VSTKATIOVS. 

Page. 

Utah’s  Best  Crop..  .Frontispiece 
Bird’s  Eye  View  of  the  Plains  27 

Hanging  Rock,  Am.  Fork 29 

Sidney  Dillon,  of  U.  P.  R.R..  31 

Missouri  River  Bridge 35 

Grand  Central  Hotel 37 

Hanging  Rock,  Echo  Canyon  39 

High  School,  Omaha 41 

Devil’s  Slide,  Weber  Canyon.  45 
Crossing  Sangre  deChristo  Mt  47 

Dale  Creek  Bridge 49 

Profile  Map,  U.  P.  R R. 53 

Finger  Rock,  Weber 55 

Monument  Rock,  Black  Hills  57 

Down  the  Weber  Rivor 59 

Wash-a-kie— “big  chief ” bl 

Burning  Rock  Cut 65 

Big  Mule  Team 67 

Mormon  Temple 69 

Donner  Lake  Boating  Party. . 71 


Page. 

Summit  of  the  Mountains — 73 
Forest  View, Foot  Hill  Coun’y  75 

Yo-SemiteFalls 77 

First  Steain  Train 82 

Devil’s  Gate,  Weber  Canyon.  83 

Interior  View  Snow  Shed 85 

Overland  Pony  Express 87 

Palisades  of  the  Humboldt...  91 
Crossing  the  “ Range  ” on 

Snow  Skates 93 

Seals  and  Sea  Lions 99 

Snow  Galleries 101 

View  of  Salt  Lake  City 103 

Starvation  Camp 105 

Crossing  the  Truckee  River. . 107 

Mining  Map  of  Utah 109 

James  Bridger  HI 

Pricky,  the  Horned  Toad 115 

Pulpit  Rock,  Echo  Canyon..  117 

One  Thousand  Mile  Tree 118 

Interior  View  Mormon  Taber- 
nacle  ...  119 


G-EIsTEII^-A-Ij  IETEEE:— Continued. 


IliliUSTRATIONS 

CONTINUED.  Page, 

Brieham  Young 123 

Mormon  “ Holiness  to  the 

Lord” 125 

Walker  House,  Salt  Lake — 126 
Brigham  Young’s  Kesidence.  131 

Eagle  Gate. 133 

Entering  the  Palisades 137 

Leland  Stanford,  of  C.  P.  R.R  141 

Profile  map  of  C.  P.  R.R 144 

The  Last  Spike — 146 

Indians  Watching  the  Pacific 

Railroad 153 

American  River  Canyon 151 


The  Maiden’s  Grave.. 160 

Truckee  River 163 

Snow  Sheds — 170 

Before  the  Railroad 173 

Eureka 177 

First  Mountain  Express 179 

Hydraulic  Mining 185 

Rounding  Cape  Horn. 186 

Looking  up  at  Cape  Horn....  189 


Bloomer  Cut 195 

Map  of  Routes  in  California.  201 

Livermore  Pass  Tunnel 207 

Palace  Hotel 213 

Seal  Rocks  and  Pacific  Ocean  219 

Crossing  the  “ Loop  ” 233 

Bird’s  Eye  View  ofthe  “Loop”  239 

Yucca  Palm  245 

San  Pedro’s  Wife 247 

Orange  Orchard  and  Palms . . 256 
Cattle  Brands 313 

HIISCEIiliAXEOlIS. 

Routes  East  of  Mo.  River 

from..... 27  to 30 

Hints 28 

Sketch  of  Sidney  Dillon 31 

Missouri  River  Bridge 34 

Snake  River  Pass — 75 

Gray’s  Peak 76 

Middle  Park,  Col ...  76 

Narrow  Guage 78 

Giant’s  Cave ...  . 134 

Colorado 62 

White  Pine 158 

American  Desert 148 

Water  Syphon — 172 

Marysville  Buttes 195 

The  Vallejo  Route, 200 

Calaveras  Big  Trees 207 

Petrified  Forest 222 

Yo-Semite  Valley  and  Bi^ 

Trees 236 

New  Almaden  Quick-Silver 

Mines i 230 

California  Windmills 205 

Tule  Lands 198 

Up  the  Sacramento 197 

Down  the  Sacramento 199 

The  Foot  Hills 205 

First  Gold  Discovery 204 

Sutro  Tunnel 175 

Tunnels  and  Snow  Sheds — 182 

Hydraulic  Mining - . 185 

Ten  Miles  of  Track  in  One 

Day 147 

Boise  Country 148 

Pilot  Peak 149 

Hamboldt  Well 151 

The  Palisades 155 

The  Maiden’s  Grave 159 

Gravelly  Ford 1591 


The  Sweetwater  Country, 

Estes  Park,  Col. ..  

One  Thousand  Mile  Tree 

Devil’s  Slide 

Courthouse  Rock 

Chimney  Rock  

Prairie  Dogs  — 

Fremont’s  Orchard ...... 

Woman  Jury 

Laramie  Plains 

The  Snowy  Range. 63  to  96 

Utah 

The  Last  Spike 

VirginiaDale. . ..  

Col.  Powell’s  Expedition 

Excursions  No.  1 

“ “ 2 

“ “ 3 

“ “ 4 

“ “ 5 

AI^JXEX  1N1>EX. 

Commence  page — 300  to  324. 
No.  1 American  Progress...  300 


Page. 

....  140 

No.  34 

....  241 

“ 35 

108 

“ 36 

....  66 

“ 37 

....  118 

“ 38 

....  119 

“ 39 

....  56 

“ 40 

....  56 

“ 41 

...  56 

“ 42 

....  57 

“ 43 

....  95 

“ 44 

....  95 

“ 45 

.63  to  96 

“ 46 

....  121 

“ 47 

....  144 

“ 48 

....  92 

“ 49 

. ..  108 

“ 50 

....  217 

“ 51 

220 

“ 52 

“ 53 

224 

“ 54 

“ 55 

2 Passage  Ticket  Memo.  300 

3 Baggage  Check  “ 300 

4 Rates  of  Fare 301 

5 Our  Western  Country  301 
5 The  Far  West. 

5 Allis  Changed. 


302 

302 


5 Condensed  History...  302 
5 Organization  of  p.  r.r.  303 

5 Land  Grant 303 

5 Cost  of  Construction. . 304 
5 Importance  of  Road... 

Road 304 

5 Facts  in  Brief. 304 

5 Grumblers 305 

6 High  School 305 

7 First  Steam  Train — 305 

8 The  Madrone  Tree  — 305 

8 The  Manzanita 305 

9 Books  Worth  Buying. . 305 

10  Jack  Slade 306 

11  Boulder  Canyon......  306 

12  Hanging  Rock,  Cal . . . 306 

13  Snow  Difficulties 306 

14  Garden  o f the  Gods...  307 

15  State  Capital  of  Cal..  307 

16  Castellated  Rocks 307 

17  Memories  of  Ft.  Brid’r  307 

18  Hanging  Rock,  Utah.  308 

19  Steamboat  Rock 

20  Paddy  Miles’  Ride... 

21  Salt  Lake 309 

22  “ “ 309 

23  Discovery  of  Califor’a.  309 
23  Sierra  Nevada  Moun’s  310 

23  The  Coast  Range 310 

23  The  Rainy  Season....  310 

23  Statistical  Items 310 

24  Hauling  Ore  in  Hides.  310 

25  Life  of  Brigham  Young  310 

26  National  Park . 311 

27  Ocean  Steamships 312 

28  Col.  Hudnut’s  Survey.  312 

29  Western  Stock  Raising  313 

30  The  Great  Cave 314 

30  A Little  History 314 

30  Indian  Legend . . 314 

31  Nevada  Falls 315 

32  Pioneer  Mail 315 

33  The  Donnar  Party 315 


Page. 


“ 317 

Willi’ette  317 


317 

317 


Shasta 318 

Edward  Gardens. . . 318 


320 


320 

320 


Query  and  Random  Shots  — 321 

American  Fork 130 

Am  adore  Branch 205 

Bingham  Canyon 127 

Burlington  and  Missouri 46 

Bay  Coast. 229 

Central  Pacific 142 

Colorado  Central 64 

California  Pacific 200 

California  Northern 194 

Denver  & St.  Joseph 46 

Denver  & Rio  Grande 79 

Denver  Pacific 88 

Denver,  South  Park  & Pacific  79 

Eurek  & Palisade 156 

Fremont  & Elkhorn 41 

Kansas  Pacific 79 

Los  Angeles  & Independence  245 

Monterey  & Selinus 232 

North  Pacific  Coast 224 

Northern 200 

Nevada  County 187 

Omaha  & Northwestern, 37 

Omaha  & Plattsmouth 37 

Prismoidal 223 

Republican  Valley. . 40 

Sioux  City  & Pacific — . — 40 

S anta  Cruz 231 

San  Pablo  & Tulare 208 

San  Francisco  & North  Pacific  222 

Summit  County 117 

Sacramento  Valley 203 

Southern  Pacific  227 

Stockton  & Visalia 207 

Stockton  & Copperopolis  — 207 

Union  Pacific ^32 

Utah  Central 122 

Utah  Southern 126 

Utah  Western 

Utah  Northern 136 

Virginia  & Truckee 171 

Wasatch  & Jordan  Valley. . . . 128 

SPKIXGIS, 

Hot  and  Cold. 


Pages . 


72, 

82, 

123 

134, 

136, 

161 

172, 

164, 

183 

211, 

221, 

222 

.224, 

210, 

253 

IISriDEX:— Continued. 


TIME  TABEES. 

Page. 

Eastern  DivisionU.P. 


Mountain 
Laramie 
Western 
Salt  Lake 
Humboldt 
Truckee 
Sacramento 
Western 
Visalia 
Tulare 


51 
‘‘  94 

‘‘  106 
C.  P.  142 
151 
“ 165 
“ 178 
“ 203 
234 
S.  P.  234 


Los  Angeles  “ 

a 

242 

Yuma  “ 

250 

RIVERS. 

Black’s  Fork. . . 

110 

Bear 

138 

Colorado 

114 

Cache-a-la-Poudra. . . 

, 65 

Carson 

, 168 

Colorado 

, 255 

Elkhorn 

, 39 

Feather 

. 198 

Green  

, 106 

Humboldt 

...152-153 

Ham’s  Fork 110 

Jordan, 126 

Kind’s 237 

Kern 239 

Laramie 93 

Logan 139 

Malad 138 

Medicine  Bow. 

North  Platte 50-101 

Provo 132 

Quinns 163 

Keese 162 

South  Platte 54 

San  Joaquin... 

The  Platte 41-54 


Truckee  . 

Wood 

Weber 

Walker 


177 

46 

117 

168 


CAMPS. 

1 

J 

Omaha  Barracks.... 

37^ 

Ft.  Kearny 

, 46^ 

Ft.  McPherson 

, 49  i 

Camp  N orth  Platte . . 

. 51  ^ 

Camp  at  Sidney 

. 54. 

Camp  Douglas 

. 126. 

Ft.  Sedgwick 

. 54  : 

Ft.  Morgan 

, 56 

Ft.  D.  A.  Russell. . . 

. 59 

Ft.  Laramie 

. 59 

Ft.  Fetterman> 

. 60 

Ft.  Casper 

. 60 

Ft.  Reno 

60 

Ft.  Phil.  Kearney. . 

. 60 

Ft.  C.  F.  Smith.  - . 

. 60 

Ft.  Saunders 

. 94 

Ft.  Yuma 

. 251 

Ft.  Fred  Steele 

..  100 

Ft.  Bridger 

. Ill 

Ft.  Halleck  

. 153 

Mare  Island 

. 203 

EARES. 

Page. 

Green 75 

Hot  Spring 134 

Humboldt 167 

Honey 181 

Mud 165 

Owen’s 238 

Pyramid 165 

Ruby 150 

Salt  Lake 309 

Tulare 238 

Tahoe 178 

Walker’s 168 

Winnemucca 165 

Washoe 172 

Utah 132 

Cities,  Towns  Vil 
lages  and  Sta- 
tions. 

Acampo 206 

Acton 242 

Adams 56 

Alpha ...  15'i 

Alameda 211 

Alii  a 238 

Alpine 242 

Agate 104 

Alda.... 46 

Alpine 131 

Alta ....128-184 

Alkali 52 

Altamont 209 

Alma 114 

Alvin 40 

American  Fork 130 

Ames 43 

Andrews 244 

Andersons 197 

Andersons 171 

Antelope,  Neb., 56 

Antelope,  Cal., 192 

Antioch 199 

Aneta 197 

Anaheim 248 

Atkins 97 


Page. 

Bingham 127 

Bitter  Creek 104 

Bishops 152 

Black  Buttes 104 

Black  Hawk 70 

Black  Rock 134 

Bloomfield 190 

Blue  Creek 143 

Blue  Canyon 184 

Borst — 81 

Bovine 149 

Box  Springs 157 

Boise 148 

Bonneville 143 

Boca 177 

Boulder 

Borden 236 

Bozeman 140 

Brady  Island 48 

Brainard 40 

Bristol 65 

Bronco 177 

Brigham 137-143 

Bridgeport 202 

Biggs 196 

Bryan 109 

Bridger 112 

Brighton 203 

Browns 167-172 

Brookvale 73 

Brounson 55 

Brule 52 

Buckeye 197 

Bullion 156 

Burns 57 

Buford 90 

Bushnell 56 

Burlingame 228 

Buena  Vista 188 

Cabazon 253 

Carson 174 

Calistoga 221 

Call’s  Fork 137 

Caliente 240 


190 

58 

192 

161 

76 


162 


Crystal . 
Como. . . 
Carson  . 
Bonner. 


96 

98 

168 

180 


Bantas 208 

Bakersfield 238 

Battle  Mountain 162 

Batavia 202 

Barton 53 

Baxter 105 

Bealville 240 

Belmont 228 

Bennett 56 

Beaver  Brook 69 

Benton 100 

Benicia 199 

Bennington, — 139 

Bernal 228 

Berenda 236 

Be  o-wa-we 160 

Berthoud 166 

Barro 221 

Big  Spring 52 

Big  Hill 70 


Cana 197 

Canyon  City 84 

Cannons 202 

Cactus 254 

Castle 206 

Cass.. 

Cameron 241 

Cascade 183 

Castle  Rock 80-216 

Castroville 232 

Carlin 155 

Carter 110 

Carbon.  . . 

Carbondale. 205 

Carnadero — 231 

Camptonville 190 

Cedar 151-157 

Central  City 70 

Centerville 123 

Chappel - . 54 

Ghicosa 86 

Church  Buttes HO 

Churches . 68 

Cheyenne 58 

Chico 196 

Chualar 232 

Chapman 44 

Cicero 205 

Chimney  Gulch 69 

Clarkston 138 

Cisco 184 


Page. 

Clarks,  Neb 44 

Clarks,  Nev 171 

Clear  Creek.. ...  197 

Clear  Creek 40 

Clipper  Gap  — 190 

Clifton 138 

Cloverdale 222 

Coalville 117 

Cluro 159 

Collingsville 199 

Coal  Creek 68 

C.  H.  Mills 186 

Colfax 187 

Colorado  Springs 81 

Colorado  City 82 

Colorado  Junction. . . 64 

Coin 164 

Coyote 48 

Como 98 

Colusa 198 

Columbus 43 

Colton,  Neb 54 

Colton,  Cal 252 

Cooper  Lake 97 

Corinne 143 

Cottonwood 70-197 

Council  Bluffs 30 

Cozad.  48 

Creston 102-202 

Curtis 200 

Cuchara 85 

Cucamonga 252 

Bavisville 200 

David  City 40 

Davidson 68 

Dana 99 

Decota 210 

Deeth 153 

Deer  Lodge 140 

Deer  Creek 132 

Deep  Wells 157 

Denver  76 

Desert 169 

Deweyville  138 

Devils  Gate 120 

Diamond 158 

Dixon 202 

Dexter 52 

Donahue . 222 

Downeyville 190 

Dutch  Flat 184 

Dos  Palmas 253 

Downe> 248 

Douglass  80 

Draper 129 

Duncans  Mills 226 

Dunham 196 

Edgerton 81 

Echo 117 

Egbert 57 

El  Casco 252 

Ellis 209 

Elko . 154 

El  Moro 86 

Elk  Grove 205 

Elk  Creek 70 

Elm  Creek 47 

Elmira 202 

Elkhorn 39 

Emigrant  Gap 184 

Empire,  Nev 174 

Empire,  Col 74 

Essex 177 

Evanston H4 

Evans,  Nev 156 


— Continued. 


Page. 
89 


Evans,  Col 

Eureka 156 

Ewing 194 

Fairfield 202 

Fair  Oaks, 229 

Farmington 122 

Filmore 102 

Flowing  Wells 254 

Florin  205 

Floyd  Hill 72 

Fink’s  Springs 253 

Folsom 204 

Ft.  Collins 66 

Ft.  Fred  Steele 100 

Ft.  Sanders 94 

Fowler 237 

Forest  City 190 

Fountain 83 

Franktown 172 

Franklin  ..  139 

Fremont,  Neb 40 

Fremont,  Cal 202 

Freeport 199 

Fresno 237 

Fulton.  222 

Galt 205 

Gannett 50 

Garland 88 

Gardner  Pass 158 

Georgetown 74 

Geyserville 222 

Glade 80 

Gerard 241 

Gibbon 46 

Gilmore 38 

Gilroy 231 

Golconda 164 

Gold  Hill 175 

Golden 

Gold  Run 185 

Gospel  Swamp 249 

Goshen 237 

Granite  Pt ..... ..  167 

Graneros 85 

Grangers 110 

Greeley 89 

Greenland 81 

Greenhorn 85 

Green  River 106 

Grass  Valley 188 

Gridley 196 

Green  Valley 222 

Greenville 101 

Granite  Canyon 90 

Grand  Island 44 

Guy  Gulch 

Gurney  ville, 222 

Hallville 104 

Half-way  House 135 

Hallack 153 

Hanging  Rock 116 

Hamptons 138 

Hamelton 158 

Hampton 110 

Hamlet 226 

Harney 92 

Harrisville 136 

Hayward’s 210 

Hay  Ranch 156 

Hazard 64—89 

Healdsburg 222 

Helena 140 

Herfano 85 

Hillsdale 57 

Hilliard 113 


Page. 

Hollester 231 

Honeyville 137 

Hooker 197 

Hot  Springs . 169 

Howard 226 

Howells 97 

Huffakers... .........  171 

Humboldt 166 

Huntsville 80 

Huron 237 

Hughes 89 

Husteds 81 

Hyde  Park 139 

Hyrum 138 

Idaho,  Col 72 

Idaho,  Idaho 148 

Independence 150 

Indio 253 

Iron  Point 164 

lone 205 

Illinoisetown 187 

Iowa  Hill 187 

Jackson 44 

Jossleyn 48 

Jordan — 127 

Johnson 89 

Julesburg 53 

Junction,  Roseville . . 191 

Junction,  Col 70 — 72 

Junction,  Cal 225 

Junction,  Utah 127 

Kaysville 122 

Keen 240 

Kearny  Junction 46 

Ketchum 

Kelton 148 

Kingsbury 237 

Knights  Landing — 198 

Korbels 222 

Kress  Summit. ......  188 

Larkspur 80 

Lake 148 

Latham 104 

Laramie 95 

La  Veta 86 

Lake  View 174 

Lawsons 74 

Lawrence 105 

Lake  Point 134 

Lang 243 

Lathrop 208 

Lehi 130 

Lewistown 139 

Leroy, 112 

Lerdo 238 

Livermore — 209 

Little  York 185 

Lincoln 193 

Little  Buttes 83 

Little  Cottonwood....  127 

Live  Oak 196 

Littleton 80 

Lockwood 44 


Page.!  Page. 

Lovelocks 167  O’Fallons 51 

Loveland 66  Ojo 86 

Lucin 149  Ogalalla 52 


Lodge  Pole 54 

Lodi 206 

Longmont 66 

Longs  Peak 66 

Lone  Tree 64 

Logan 139 

Lomo 196 

Lookout,  Neb 97 

Lookout,  Nev 174 

Loray 150 

Lorenzo 210 

Los  Angeles 244 


Madera 236 

Madrone..., 230 

Malad 139 

Mammoth  Tank 254 

Manitou 82 

Martinez 200 

Mariposa 235 

Mars  ton  110 

Marysville 194 

Matlin 149 

Mercede 235 

Medicine  Bow 98 

Menlo  Park 229 

Mendon 138 

Melrose  210 

Milbra 228 

Millard.  39 

McConnells 205 

McPherson 49 

Mayfield 229 

Midway 209 

Michigan  Bar 205 

Minis 114 

Milton 206 

Miser 97 

Mississippi  Bend...  199 

Mill  City,  Col 74 

Mill  City,  Nev 166 

Millstone 134 

Mill  Station 172 

Mineral  .*. 15' 

Mirage 169 

Modesto.. 235 

Montello 149 

Monterey 232 

Mojava 241 

Monument 81 

Monument 148 

Montpelier 139 

Moore’s  151 

Monte. 251 

Moleen 155 

Morano 235 

Mokelumne 206 

Mountain  House — 175 

Mountain  View 229 

Murphys 206 

Mule  Shoe 88 

Mystic 177 

Natividad 232 

Nevada,  Cal. 190 

Nadeau  241 

Napa 220 

Napa  Junction 202 

N.  E.  Mills 190 

Newton 138 

Newhall 243 

Newport 248 

New  Castle 191 

Nelson 196 

Nichols 51 

Ni  Wot 66 

Niles 210 

North  Platte 50 

North  Bend 43 

Nord 197 

Norwalk 248 

Oakland,  East 211 

Oakland,  Wharf 213 

Oakland 212 

Oak  Knoll 221 

Oakville 221 


Ogden 121 

Olema 226 

Omaha 36 

Ombey 148 

Osino 154 

Orena ...  167 

Oro  ville 194 

Otto 89 

Otego 150 

Overton 47 

Oxford 138 

Palisade 156 

Paradise 138 

Paris 139 

Pajaro 231 

Payson 133 

Plum 80 

Papillion 38 

Petaluma 222 

Petersburg 80 

Petersons 120 

Peters 206 

Percy 98 

Pequop 150 

Peko 153 

Provo 132 

Providence 138 

Pasadena 249 

Piedmont 113 

Pierce 89 

Pine  Station 157 

Pino 191 

Pinon 84 

Pine  Blufls 56 

Puente  251 

Piute 164 

Plainsburg 235 

Placerviile 204 

Pleasanton 209 

Pleasant  Grove.... ..  132 

Plum  Creek 48 

Pomona 251 

Point  Rocks 104 

Proctors 177 

Prosser  Creek 177 

Prairie  Dog 56 

Potter 55 

Pueblo 84 

Promontory  144 

Quarry 143 

Ralston . 68 

Raspberry 166 

Ravena  . 243 

Rawling 101 

Reeds  194 

Red  Buttes 93 

Redwood  City  228 

Redding 197 

Red  Bluff’s 197 

Red  Desert 104 

Red  Dog 185 

Reno 171 

Rio  Vista. 199 

Riverside — 40 

Richmond 139 

Richland 43 


Richland,  Cal 

Ripon  

Rose  Creek 

Rock  Creek. . . , 

Rock  Springs.. 

Con’t  on  Page  322. 


199 
235 
166 
97 
...  105 


THE 


NATIONAL  LIFE 

INSURANCE  COMPANY  of  the  U.  S.  of  A. 


WASHIXOTON,  ».  C. 


All  tills  Surplus  is  a •Security  Additional  to  tlie  Reserve. 
Ratio  of  Assets  to  Liabilities  148  Per  Cent. 


THE  LARGEST  CAPITAL  OF  ANY  LIFE  INSURANCE  COMPANY  IN  THE  WORLD. 

The  Capital  Stock,  $1,000,000,  is  full-paid,  in  Cash,  and  is  held 
as  additional  security  furnished  by  the  Stockholders. 

PEB.I'EOT  SECTJRITXi  LOW  RATES  OE  PREMITJMj  DEFINITE  CONTRACTS. 
OFFICERS  : 

EMJERSOlSr  W.  PEET,  President  and  Actuary, 
tT  ATjEER  ELTjIS,  Vice-President,  tTOHN  At,  EVTLER^  Secretary , 
SAM^L  M.  NICKERSOJS’y  Chairman^  Finance  & Executive  Committee, 


Sam’l  M.  Nickerson, 
John  V.  Farwell, 
Anson  Stager, 

H.  H.  Porter, 


DIRBCTORS  : 

A.  A.  Carpenter, 
Frank  D.  Gray, 
Geo.  C.  Clarke, 
F.  H.  Kales, 


Emerson  W.  Peet, 
J.  Alder  Ellis, 
John  M.  Butler, 

A.  S.  Pratt. 


BUSINESS  OFFICE:  CHICAGO, ILL.,  I5M63  LASALLE  ST. 


AMERICAN  PR 


E.  E.  Eaton, 

S3  State  Street,  - - - - Chicago,  III, 

[Established  1853] 


IMPORTER  OF  — 


FIRE  ARMS, 

AMMUNITION,  FISHING  TACKLE 

— and  — 


OCEAN  TO  OCEAN, 

OVERLAND. 

FROM  SUNRISE  TO  SUNSET  AND  PART  THE  WAY  BACK. 


Sunrise — As  the  city  of  Halifax,  in  the 
Province  of  Nova  Scotia  and  Dominion 
of  Canada,  is  the  extreme  Eastern  termi- 
nus of  the  grand  system  of  North  Ameri- 
can railways,  which  extend  from  its  At- 
lantic portal  across  the  continent  3,646  miles 
to  San  Francisco,  its  Pacific  brother,  it 
would  seem  to  be  the  most  proper  point  in 
the  East  from  which  we  should  first  start 
on  our  journey  with  the  tourist  or  emi- 
grant for  the  same  destination. 

At  Halifax,  the  morning  sun,  as  it  rises 
from  its  apparent  cold  water  bath  in  the 
broad  ocean  on  the  east,  casts  its  golden 
rays  down  upon  the  first  rail-track  that 
spans  a continent,  and  from  the  moment  the 
light  strikes  these  iron  bands  of  civilization 
and  progress,  it  seems  to  follow  them  up, 
step  by  step,  through  populous  cities,  over 
mighty  rivers,  across  broad,  treeless  plains, 
and  towering  snow-capped  mountains,  on, 
on!  towards  the  tropical  regions  of  the 
Orient.  Every  foot  of  the  route,  every  ob- 
ject of  interest  or  being,  is  minutely  in- 
spected, while  rolling  over  to  its  daily  bath, 
in  the  mighty  Pacific  Ocean  of  the  West. 
Our  course  is  in  the  same  general  direction, 
but  our  time  will  be  slower;  as  we  shall 
linger  by  the  way,  and  shall,  after  noting 
the  principal  routes  east  of  the  Missouri 
Kiver,  take  the  traveler  with  us  over  the 
Union  and  Central  Pacific  railroads ; thence 


over  the  Southern  Pacific  to  Arizona,  2,634 
miles. 

We  shall  also  take  a run  over  the 
“Republican  Valley”  branch  of  the 
U.  P.  in  Nebraska,  glance  at  the  Black 
Hills,  spin  all  over  Colorado  via  the 
Denver  Pacific,  the  Colorado  Central,  the 
Denver  & Rio  Grande;  dive  into  the 
mines,  sip  the  waters  of  the  famous  Mani- 
tou  springs,  and  bathe  in  those  of  the  cele- 
brated Idaho ; snatch  a rose  from  the  “Gar- 
den of  the  Gods,”  gaze  up  at  the  towering 
Long’s,  Pike’s,  Yeta  and  the  Span- 
ish peaks,  thunder  through  the  mighty 
canons  of  Clear  Creek,  and  over  the  great 
Sangre  de  Christo  mountains,  at  an  eleva- 
tion of  9,339  feet,  the  second  highest  rail- 
road point  in  the  world. 

We  will  rattle  through  “Echo  Canyon” 
and  the  “Devil’s  Gate”  to  the  land  of 
Zion,  and  over  the  Utah  Central,  South- 
ern, American  Fork,  Bingham  Canyon, 
Wasatch  & Jordan  Valley,  and  the  Western 
railroads. 

We  will  glance  at  Utah  Territory, 
Salt  Lake,  the  mines,  the  magnificent 
scenery  of  the  American  Fork,  then  bound 
away  to  the  northward,  over  the  Utah 
Northern,  and  take  a peep  at  the  Great 
Yellowstone  National  Park,  the  “Geysers,” 
waterfalls,  etc. 

We  will  stand  on  the  spot  where  the  “last 


26 


crofutt’s  new  overland  tourist 


spike”  was  driven,  which  united  the  East 
and  the  West  hy  iron  bands,  and  over 
where  the  “ten  miles  of  track  was  laid 
in  one  day we  shall  run  along  beside 
Salt  Lake, — ^the  great  dead  sea, — down 
the  Humboldt,  and  over  the  Eureka 
& Palisade  railroad  to  the  Eureka  and 
White  Pine  country. 

The  “Palisades  of  the  Humboldt,”  as  well 
as  the  Lake  and  the  great  “sink”  of  the 
Humboldt,  will  be  visited,  as  also  the  great 
Nevada  Desert,  and  the  hot,  spurting  sul- 
phur springs  of  Nevada.  We  shall  visit  the 
greatest  silver  mining  country  in  the 
world,  Virginia  City.  Gold  Hill  and  Car- 
son,  via  the  Virginia  & Truckee  rail- 
road ; will  take  a trip  over  Lake  Tahoe, 
and  fish  in  Donner;  ascend  the  Sierras, 
and  roll  through  more  than  fifty  miles  of 
snow  sheds  and  tunnels,  one  continuing 
for  28  miles.  Then  around  “Cape  Horn,” 
and  to  the  old  mining  towns  of  Grass  V al- 
ley and  Nevada,  over  the  Nevada  County 
Narrow  Gauge  railroad,  one  of  the  finest 
in  the  world.  We  will  take  a run  all  over 
California,  visit  the  “Big  Trees,”  Yo-Se- 
mite  Valley  the  “Geysers,”  “Redwood 
Forests,”  “Seal  Rocks,”  “Quicksilver 
Mines,”  “Alabaster  Cave,”  Calestoga,  and 
the  grape  vineyards  and  wine  cellers  of  So- 
noma and  Napa  counties.  We  will  visit 
Mount  Shasta  and  the  Upper  Sacramento 
Valley;  Coloma,  where  gold  was  first  dis- 
covered ; Mt.  Diablo,  the  lofty  peak  of  the 
Contra-Costa  Mountains;  and  Mt.  Tamal- 
pais,  the  huge  sentinel  of  the  Coast  Range, 
where  we  are  at  Sunset,  at  the  Golden 
Gate.  After  taking  a hasty  glance  of  Ore. 
gon  and  the  Columbia  River,  we  shall  direct 
our  course  south  and  eastward,  towards 
Sunrise,  up  the  great  San  Joaquin  Val- 
ley, over  the  “Loop”  of  the  “ Tehachapie 
Pass,”  and  out  on  to  the  great  “Mojave 
Desert,”  rolling  down  the  infamous  So- 
ledad  Canyon, — the  “Robber’s  Roost,” — 
and  through  the  San  Fernando  Mountains, 
out  into  the  valley,  and  to  the  “ city  of  the 
angels,”  Los  Angeles,with  its  tropical  fruits, 
orange  orchards,  and  eternal  summer. 


From  Los  Angeles,  our  route  is  to  i 
Santa  Monica,  the  Long  Branch  of  the  j 
Pacific,  thence  around  to  Wilmington 
Harbor,  on  a visit  to  San  Pedro’s  wife,  ! 
the  “Woman  of  the  Period.”  We  will  also  i 
take  a look  at  Santa  Ana,  Anahime,  San  ; 
Gabriel,  where  the  oldest  Mission  building 
in  the  State  is  in  ruins ; where  orange  trees 
are  over  one  hundred  years  old  and  loaded 
down  with  the  golden  fruit.  We  will  have  a 
run  through  the  great  vineyards  and  fruit 
orchards  of  this  tropical  region,  inspect  the 
Mammoth  cactus  pads  and  the  huge  palm 
trees.  From  this  point,  “Progress”  turns 
more  to  the  Eastward.  We  will  follow  its 
track  and  pass  over  the  San  Barnerdino 
mountains,  and  descend  into  the  “Great 
Colorado  Desert,”  rolling  down,  down,  to 
the  sea  level,  where  one  would  suppose 
“Progress”  would  naturally  stop,  unless  she 
had  a boat  or  a diving  suit ; but  no,  our  train 
starts  again  downward;  ye  Gods!  down, 
down  we  go,  under  the  sea  level  two  hundred 
and  sixty-six  feet,  where  sulphur  springs, 
mud,  geysers,  salt,  and  many  other  kinds 
of  springs — both  hot  and  cold—^ere  very 
numerous,  forcibly  reminding  one  of  the 
“infernal  regions;”  but,  as  our  modern 
teachers  have  done  away  with  that  old 
“bugaboo,”  we  suppose  they  would  not 
hesitate  to  visit  with  us  this  remarkable 
and  very  interesting  region,  and  also  go 
with  us  to  Yuma,  in  Arizona,  on  the  Colo- 
rado River. 

Let  us  see,  we  are  living  in  a fast  age ; ; 
the  sun  makes  very  good  time,  but  “Old  I 
Sol”  is  aged,  has  run  in  the  same  old  ^ 
groove  for  too  many  years  to  retain  much  : 
of  the  spirit  of  Progress.  It  is  within  ; 
the  memory  of  many,  how  Morse,  with 
his  lightning,  beat  the  old  luminary,  and 
we  are  now  “talking  all  around  him.” 
Steam  on  the  rail  is  next  in  speed ; “one 
mile  a minute”  is  not  uncommon.  The 
trip  from  New  York  city  to  San  Francisco, 
a distance  of  3,296  miles,  was  commenced 
June  1st,  1877,  by  JarrettA  Palmer,  on  a 
special  train,  and  the  run  made  in  83  hours,  > 
53  minutes,  and  45  seconds,  an  average  , 


AND  PACIFIC  COAST  GUIDE. 


bird’s  eye  view  of  the  plains,  from  LOUP  FORK  RIVER. 


39  miles  an  hour  including  stops.  Sol 
must  look  sharp,  or  steam  will  also  heat  him 
in  the  race. 

West  to  the  Missouu  River — We 
shall  not  attempt  a minute  description 
of  the  various  railroad  and  steamboat 
routes,  east  of  the  Missouri  River.  Each 
possesses  its  own  peculiar  attractions,  a few 
of  which  will  be  briefly  noted  hereafter. 

Passengers  from  the  Eastern  Atlantic 
sea-board,  contemplating  a trip  to  the  Pa- 
cific coast,  or  the  trans-Missouri  country 
bordering  the  great  Pacific  railroad,  can 
have  their  choice  of  five  through  “Trunk 
Lines,”  four  American  and  one  Canadian, 
which  find  their  way  by  different  routes,  to 
a connection  with  the  Union  Pacific  rail- 
road, on  the  east  bank  of  the  Missouri 


River,  midway  between  Council  Bluffs 
and  Omaha. 

These  five  lines  are  the  New  \ ork  Cen- 
tral and  Hudson  River  railroad,  the 
Erie  railway  line,  the  Pennsylvania 
Central,  the  Baltimore  & Ohio  railroad, 
and  the  Grand  Trunk,  of  Canada. 

The  railroad  connections  by  these  lines 
are  almost  innumerable,  extending  to  al- 
most every  city,  town,  and  village  in 
nearly  every  State  and  Territory  in  the 
United  States  and  Dominion  of  Canada; 
the  regular  through  trains  of  either  line 
make  close  and  sure  connections  with  the 
Pacific  road,  while  the  fares  are  the  same. 
Sleeping  cars  are  run  on  all  through  trains 
— most  luxuriant  palaces.  The  charges 
are  extra^  or  about  $3  per  day — 24  hours. 


28 


CROFUTT'S  NEW  OVERLAND  TOURIST 


Only  first-class  passengers  can  procure 
berths  in  the  sleeping  cars. 


HINTS  BEFORE  WE  START. 


1.  Provide  yourself  with  Crofutt’s  New 
Overland  Tourist,  and  then  be  particular 
to  choose  such  routes  as  wil  1 enable  you 
to  visit  the  cities,  towns,  and  objects  of 
interest  that  you  desire  to  see,  without  an- 
noyance of  needless  expense. 

2.  Greenbacks  are  good  everywhere,  so 
there  is  no  longer  any  necessity  of  chang- 
ing them  for  gold. 

3.  Never  purchase  your  tickets  from  a 
stranger  in  the  street,  but  over  the  counter 
of  some  responsible  company.  When 
purchasing  tickets,  look  well  to  the  date, 
and  notice  that  each  ticket  is  stamped  at 
the  time  you  receive  it.  Then  make  a 
memorandum  on  the  blank  in  the  Annex 
No.  2,  of  your  Guide  Book,  of  the  name  of 
the  road  issuing  the  ticket,  destination  of 
ticket,  form,  number  of  ticket,  consecutive 
number,  class  and  date.  In  case  you  lose 
your  ticket,  make  known  the  fact  at  once 
at  the  office  of  the  company^  showing  the 
memorandum  as  above  described,  and  steps 
can  be  taken  immediately  to  recover  the 
ticket,  if  lost  or  stolen,  or  to  prevent  its  be- 
ing used  by  any  one  else.  By  attention  to 
such  slight  and  apparently  unimportant 
matters  as  these,  travelers  may  recover 
their  loss  and  save  themselves  much  in- 
convenience. 

4.  Before  starting  out,  provide  yourself 
with  at  least  one-third  more  money  than 
your  most  liberal  estimate  would  seem  to 
require,  and  do  not  lend  to  strangers  or  be 
induced  to  play  at  their  games,  if  you  do, 
you  will  surely  he  rohhed. 

5 . Endeavor  to  be  at  the  depot  at  least 
fifteen  minutes  before  the  train  leaves, 
thereby  avoiding  a crowd  and  securing  a 
good  seat. 

6.  You  will  need  to  show  your  ticket  to 
the  baggage-man  when  you  ask  him  to 
check  your  baggage;  then  see  that  it  is 
properly  checked,  and  make  a memoran- 
dum of  the  number  of  the  check  in  the 
blank  of  the  Annex  No.  3;  this  done,  you 
will  need  to  give  it  no  further  attention  un- 
til you  get  to  the  place  to  which  it  is 
checked. 

7.  Persons  who  accompany  the  con- 
ductor through  the  cars,  calling  for  bag- 
gage to  be  delivered  at  the  hotels  or  other 
places,  are  generally  reliable,  but  the  pas- 
senger, if  in  doubt,  should  inquire  of  the 
conductor,  and  then  be  careful  to  compare 


the  number  of  the  ticket  received  from  the 
agent  in  exchange  for  your  check,  to  be 
sure  that  they  are  the  same. 

8.  Do  nut  grumble  at  everything  and 
everybody  or  seek  to  attract  attention ; re- 
member only  boors  and  uneducated  peo- 
ple are  intrusive  and  boisterous. 

9.  Remember  this:  “Please”  and 
“Thanks”  are  towers  of  strength.  Do  not 
let  the  servants  excel  you  in  patience  and 
politeness.  All  railroad  employes  are  in- 
structed to  be  gentlemanly  and  obliging  at 
all  times. 

10.  And  finally — Do  not  judge  of  the 
people  you  meet  by  their  clothes,  or  think 
you  are  going  west  to  find  fools ; as  a mil- 
lionaire may  be  in  greasy  buckskin,  a col- 
lege graduate  in  rags,  and  a genius  with 
little  of  either,  while  in  the  breast  of  each 
beats  an  honest  heart. 

o- 


For  Rates  of  Fare,  see  Annex  No.  4. 
o 

Route  1. — From  Halifax  take  the 


Inter-Colonial  and  Grand  Trunk  railways, 
through  the  Province  of  New  Bruns- 
wick via  Quebec,  Montreal,  Victoria 
Bridge,  along  the  shore  of  the  St.  Law- 
rence River,  Thousand  Islands,  and  La 
Chine  Rapids,  Toronto,  Hamilton,  Niagara 
and  Detroit,  where  connections  are  made 
with  routes  2 and  3.  Another  route  is  by 
Maine  Central  via  Portland,and  ^Amthe 
Grand  Trunk,  or,  via  Boston  and  the 
Central  Vermont  and  the  Grand  Trunk. 

From  Boston  there  are  quite  a num- 
ber of  lines.  One,  as  above  described,  is 
through  Vermont  and  Canada;  another  is 
by  the  Boston  & Albany  railroad  to  Al- 
bany, where  connections  are  made  with 
route  2 ; another  is  the  new  “Hoosac  Tun- 
nel” route,  through  the  mountain  and  tun- 
nel of  that  name, — 25,081  feet  in  length, 
double  track ; cost  $16, 000,000 — cut  through 
a mountain  which  rises  1,900  feet  above  the 
track.  This  route  is  a very  desirable  one, 
passes  through  the  entire  length  of  the 
State  of  Massachusetts,  and  connects  with 
route  2,  at  Troy,  New  York.  Another 
line  is  via  Springfield,  or  Shore  Line,  to 
New  York  city;  or,  you  can  take  part 
“rail”  and  the  steamships  on  Long  Island 
Sound,  of  which  there  are  three  first-class 
lines,  comprising  some  of  the  finest  boats 
in  the  world. 

From  New  York  city,  passengers  who 
desire  to  visit  Niagara— whose  thundering 
cataracts,  in  volume  of  waters,  far  surpass 
all  other  waterfalls  in  the  known  world — 


AND  PACIFIC  COAST  GUIDE. 


29 


HANGING  ROCX,  AMERICAN  FORK 
See  Annex  No.  18. 

may  also  view  the  great  Suspension  Bridge 
over  Niagara  River,  which,  undoubtedly,  is 
one  of  the  finest  structures  of  its  kind  in 
this  country.  They  can  have  choice  of  two 
trunk  lines. 

Route  2. — The  New  York  Central  & 
Hudson  River  line,  passes  up  the  glorious 
old  Hudson,  the  magnificent  river  upon  the 
bosom  of  which  Fulton  launched  his  “ex- 
periment,” the  first  steamboat  ever  con- 
structed. This  road  is  built  almost  on  the 
river  brink,  upon  the  eastern  bank,  which 


slopes  back  in  irregu- 
lar terraces,  presenting 
from  the  car  window 
one  of  the  finest,  if  not 
the  finest,  panoramic 
view  in  the  world. 
On  the  right  are  many 
small  cities,  towns  and 
villages,  with  groves, 
parks,  gardens,  orch- 
ards, and  alternate  rich 
fields,  with  here  and 
there,  peeping  out  from 
beneath  the  trees,  the 
magnificent  country 
villa  of  the  nabob, 
the  substantial  resi- 
dence ot  the  wealthy 
merchant,  or  the  neat 
and  tasteful  cottage  of 
the  well-to-do  farmer. 
Then  come  the  “ Pali- 
sades of  the  Hudson,” 
and  then  again  a rep- 
etition of  the  beauties 
above  described,  while 
to  the  west  of  our  train 
rolls  the  river,  with 
numberless  steamboats 
tugs,  barges,  small 
boats,  and  sailing  ves- 
sels of  all  kinds  and 
classes,  while  beyond, 
on  the  west  bank,  is 
spread  out  a succession 
of  scenery  not  much 
unlike  that  seen  on 
the  eastern  side.  This 
line  passes  through 
Central  New  York,  the 
“Garden  Spot  of  the 
State,”  via  Albany, — 
the  Capital  of  the 
State,  — Troy,  Utica, 
Rochester,  to  Suspen- 
sion Bridge,  Niagara, 
and  Buffalo. 

The  direct  western  connections  of  this 
route  are  at  Suspension  Bridge,  with  the 
Great  Western  and  Michigan  Central 
and  at  Buffalo  with  the  Canada  Southern 
and  the  Lake  Shore  & Michigan  South- 
ern, via  Dunkirk  and  Cleveland. 

Route  3. — The  Erie  railway  line  trav- 
erses the  southern  portion  of  the  State  of 
New  York,  via  Binghampton,  Corning, 
and  Buffalo.  The  track  of  the  Erie  is 
ihehroad  gauge;  the  cars  are  very  wide 
and  commodious.  This  route  affords  the 


R.R.,  UTAH. 


30  crofutt’s  new  oveuland  tourist 


traveler  a view,  while  crossing  and  re- 
crossing the  Delaware,  of  scenery  and  en- 
gineering skill,  at  once  grand,  majestic, 
and  wonderful.  The  direct  western  con- 
nection of  the  Erie  is  the  Lake  Shore 
& Michigan  Southern,  at  Dunkirk  and 
Buffalo;  and  the  Canada  Southern,  at 
Bufialo — with  the  Great  Western  and 
Michigan  Central,  at  Suspension  Bridge ; 
and  the  Atlantic  & Great  Western,  at 
Cony,  Penn. 

llouTE  4. — The  Pennsylvania  Central 
line  receives  passengers  in  New  York 
and  Philadelphia,  and  conveys  them  the 
entire  length  of  the  State  of  Pennsylvania, 
via  Harrisburg — the  capital  of  the  State, 
— to  Pittsburgh,  the  most  extensive  iron 
manufacturing  cityin  the  UnitedStates.  The 
landscape  on  this  line,  and  especially  while 
passing  along  the  Susquehanna  River,  and 
the  charming  “Blue  Junietta,”  and  over  the 
I Alleghanies,  presents  scenery  most  grand ; 
i while  the  fearful  chasms  and  wonderful 
I engineering  skill  displayed  at  the  “Great 
Horse-shoe  Bend,”  and  at  other  points,  are 
second  only  to  that  displayed  at  “Cape 
Horn”  on  the  Sierra  Nevada  mountains. 
At  Pittsburgh,  the  Central  connects  with 
; the  Pittsburgh,  Fort  Wayne  & Chicago, 

I — one  of  the  loest  roads  in  this  country — 
j and  also  with  lines,  via  Columbus  and  In- 
dianapolis, and  St.  Louis,  or  Cincinnati, 
Indianapolis  and  St.  Louis. 

Route  5. — Is  via  the  cities  of  Philadel- 
phia and  Baltimore,  by  the  Baltimore  & 
j Ohio.  By  this  line,  passengers  are  afibrded 
I an  opportunity  of  visiting  the  capitol  at 
; Washington,  and  thence,  via  Harper’s 
: Ferry,  “over  the  mountains”  to  Wheeling, 
i It  is  said  by  some  travelers  that  the 
scenery  by  this  line  is  unsurpassed  by  any 
■ on  the  continent.  The  western  connec- 
; tions  are  at  Chicago,  Cincinnati,  and  St. 
Louis. 

From  Cincinnati  passengers  can  have 
choice  of  several  first-class  competing 
lines,  via  either  Chicago  or  St.  Louis,  or 
via  the  Burlington  route — direct,  via  Bur- 
lington, Iowa,  where  connection  is  made 
with  the  Burlington  & Missouri,  for  Coun- 
cil Bluffs. 

^ From  St.  Louis  passengers  can  take 
either  the  North  Missouri,  or  the  Mis- 
souri Pacific,  via  Kansas  City,  and  the 
Kansas  City,  St.  Joseph  & Council  Bluff’s, 
via  St.  J oseph.  Mo.,  or  the  St.  Louis  & 
Northern,  and  arrive  at  Council  Bluffs. 

From  Chicago  there  are  three  first 
class  roads.  The  Chicago  & Northwest- 


ern was  the  first  road  built  to  the  Missouri 
River,  where  the  first  train  arrived  J anuary 
17th,  1867.  A sleeping  and  magnificent 
hotel  car  accompanies  each  through  pas- 
senger train,  and  meals  are  served,  la 
carte^  and  are  very  excellent.  The  routu 
is  via  Clinton  and  Cedar  Rapids.  The 
Chicago,  Rock  Island  A Pacific  route  is 
via  Rock  Island,  Davenport  and  Des 
Moines.  This  line  is  also  fitted  up  in 
the  best  manner,  with  sleeping  and  din- 
ing cars;  and,  last^  but  by  no  means 
leasts  is  the  Burlington  Route,  by  the 
Chicago,  Burlington  & Quincy,  and  the 
Burlington  & Missouri,  via  Galesburg, 
and  Burlington.  Here  too  will  be  found 
sleeping  and  dining  cars. 

We  have  enumerated  above,  the  principal 
lines  centering  at  the  Transfer  Grounds, 

All  trains  from  the  East  and  South  stop 
a few  moments  at  Council  Bluffs  before 
proceeding  to  the  Transfer  Grounds,  two 
miles  further  west.  Let  us  take  a look  at 

Council  Blulfs—This  city  is  in  the 
western  portion  of  the  State  of  Iowa,  about 
three  miles  from  the  Missouri  River,  at  the 
foot  of  the  bluffs.  It  is  the  county  seat  of 
Pottawattomie  county,  and  contains  a pop- 
ulation of  about  14,000.  It  is  four  miles 
distant  from  Omaha,  Nebraska,  with  which 
city  it  is  connected  by  steam  and  horse 
railroads.  The  explorers,  Lewis  and  Clark, 
held  council  with  the  Indians  here  in  1804, 
and  named  it  Council  Bluffs.  It  is  one  of 
the  oldest  towns  in  Western  Iowa.  As  early 
as  1846,  it  was  known  as  a Mormon  settle- 
ment, by  the  name  of  Kanesville,  which  it 
retained  until  1853,  when  the  legislature 
granted  a charter  designating  the  place  as 
the  City  of  Council  Bluffs. 

The  surrounding  country  is  rich  in  the 
chief  wealth  of  the  nation— agriculture. 

Council  Bluff’s  includes  within  her  cor- 
porate limits  24  square  miles.  The  buildings 
are  good;  the  town  presents  a neat,  tasty, 
and,  withal,  a lively  appearance;  street-cars 
traverse  the  principal  streets;  churches 
and  schools  are  numerous.  The^  State  In- 
stitute for  the  Deaf  and  Dumb  is  located 
near  the  city,  to  the  southeast.  The  Ogden, 
is  the  principal  hotel,  and  the  Daily  Non- 
pareil, and  the  Daily  Glohe,  are  the  prin- 
cipal newspapers. 

By  a decision  of  the  United  States  Su- 
preme Court,  the  eastern  bank  of  the  Mis- 
souri River  is  the  terminus  of  the  Union 
Pacific  railroad.  The  terminus  is  now 
known  as  the  Transfer  Grounds. 


AND  PACIFIC  COAST  GtiIDE. 


SIDNEY  DILLON. 


1 Among  the  men  of  progress  in  America 
I there  will  be  found  no  name  more  clis- 
j tinctly  representative  or  more  thoroughly 
in  unison  with  the  spirit  of  the  age,  than 
I that  of  Mr.  Sidney  Dillon,  President  of 
the  Union  Pacific  railroad.  Born  in  North- 
ampton, Montgomery  county,  New  York, 

I on  the  7th  of  May,  1812,  at  which  place 
his  father  was  a well-to-do  farmer,  he 
came  of  sterling  stock — his  grandfather 
having  been  a Revolutionary  soldier. 

From  early  childhood  his  life  has  been 
I i an  active  one,  given  almost  wholly  to  the 
' j advancement  of  the  internal  improvements 
j of  his  country.  When  a mere  lad,  he  com- 
' I menced  his  railroad  life  as  an  errand  boy, 
i on  the  Mohawk  & Hudson  railroad — 

1 i the  first  railroad  built  in  his  native 
: ! State — running  from  Albany  to  Schenec- 
s i tady.  ( See  Annex  No.  7. ) He  next 
^ ■ entered  the  service  of  the  Rensselaer 
i I & Saratoga — then  we  hear  of  him  as  over- 
P j seer  of  a contract  on  the  Boston  & Provi- 
^ i dence,  and  several  other  roads.  In  1838,  he 
I i took  his  first  contract,  and  completed  it  with 
^ I profit  in  1840,  from  which  time  his  con- 
I have  been  very  numerous.  Among 


these  was  “Clay  Hill,”  two  miles  from 
West  Troy,  on  the  Troy  & Schenectady 
railroad.  Mr.  Dillon  next  built  twenty- 
six  miles  of  the  Hartford  & Springfield, 
six  miles  of  the  Cheshier,  and  ten  miles  on 
the  Vermont  & Massachusetts.  Besides 
the  above,  he  has  been  engaged  in  the  con- 
struction of  the  Rutland  & Burlington; 
Central,  of  New  Jersey;  the  Morris 
canal;  the  Boston  & New  York  Central; 
the  Philadelphia  & Erie;  the  Erie  & 
Cleveland ; the  Morris  & Essex ; the 
Boston,  Hartford  & Erie;  the  Iowa;  the 
New  Orleans,  Mobile  & Chattanooga, 
the  Canada  Southern;  the  Union  Pa- 
cific, and  many  others.  The  last  great 
work  upon  which  Mr.  Dillon  has  been  en- 
gaged is  the  “Fourth  Avenue  improve- 
ment,” New  York.  The  contract  involves 
$7,000,000,  and  is  a work  of  great  mag- 
nitude. Suffice  it  to  say,  that  he  has  been 
engaged  in  over  forty  of  the  leading  public 
works  of  America,  and  that  the  contracts 
with  which  he  has  been  engaged  have 
amounted  to  over  $100,000,000.  The 
career  of  Mr.  Dillon  teaches  the  lesson, 
that,  at  the  hands  of  a man  thoroughly 


32 


crofutt’s  new  overland  tourist 


conversant  with  his  business,  persevering, 
energetic,  faithful  to  trust,  upright  in  his 
relations  with  his  fellow-men,  is  sure. 

In  person,  Mr.  Dillon  is  tall,  exceedingly 
well  built,  and  combines  suavity  of  man- 
ner with  great  promptness  of  decision  in 
action.  He  was  married  in  1841,  and  ha.^ 
two  daughters.  His  residence  is  in  the 
city  of  New  York. 


Union  Pacific  Kailroad. 

Official  Headquarters,  Kailroad  Building, 
Omaha,  Neb.,  and  44  Equitable 
Building,  Boston,  Mass. 


Sidney  Dillon, President^ liew  York. 

Elisha  Atkins, Vice-President Boston. 

E.  H.  Rollins, Sec.  and  Treas., “ 

S.  H.  H.  Clark,  — Oen'l  Sup^t, Omaha. 

J.  T.  Clark, Asst.  Gen'l  Sup^t, “ 

J.  W.  Gannett, Auditor., “ 

N.  Shelton, Cashier, “ 

T.  E.  Sickles, Chief  Engineer, “ 

Leavitt  Burnham  Commissioner,  “ 

J.  J.  Dickey, Sup't  Telegraph, — “ 

E.  P.  ViNiNG, Oen^l  Freight  Agent,  “ 

Thos.  L.  Kimball,  G.  P.  & T.  Agent,...  “ 

F.  Knowland,  General  Eastern  Agent, 

287  Broadway,  New  York. 
W.  C.  Thompson,  Gen'l  Agent  for  New  England, 
Boston,  Mass. 


Though  but  little  faith  was  at  first  felt  in 
the  successful  completion  of  this  great 
railway,  no  one,  at  the  present  day,  can 
fail  to  appreciate  the  enterprise  which 
characterized  the  progress  and  final  com- 
pletion of  this  road,  its  immense  value  to 
the  Government,  our  own  people,  and  the 
world  at  large. 

By  the  act  of  1862,  the  time  for  the  com- 
pletion of  the  road  was  specified.  The  ut- 
most limit  was  July  1,  1876. 

The  first  contract  for  construction  was 
made  in  August,  1863,  but  various  con- 
flicting interests  connected  with  the  loca- 
tion of  the  line  delayed  its  progress,  and  it 
was  not  until  the  5th  day  of  November, 
1865,  that  the  ceremony  of  breaking  ground 
was  enacted  at  a point  on  the  Missouri 
River,  near  Omaha,  Neb. 

The  enthusiast,  Mr.  Train,  in  his  speech 
on  the  occasion  of  breaking  ground,  said 
the  road  would  be  completed  in  five  years. 
Old  Fogy  could  not  yet  understand  Young 
America,  and,  as  usual,  he  was  ridiculed 
for  the  remark,  classed  as  a dreamer  and 
visionary  enthusiast ; the  greater  portion  of 
the  people  believing  that  the  limited  time 
would  find  the  road  unfinished.  But  it 
was  completed  in  three  years,  six  months, 
and  ten  days. 


Most  Americans  are  familiar  with  the 
history  of  the  road,  yet  but  few  are  aware 
of  the  vast  amount  of  labor  performed  in 
obtaining  the  material  with  which  to  con- 
struct the  first  portion.  There  was  no 
railroad  nearer  Omaha  than  150  miles  east- 
w^:rd,  over  this  space  all  the  material 
purchased  in  the  Eastern  cities  had  to  be 
transported  by  freightteams  at  ruinous 
prices. . The  laborers  were,  in  most  cases, 
transported  to  the  railroad  by  the  same 
route  and  means.  Even  the  engine,  of  70 
horse  power,  which  drives  the  machinery 
at  the  company’s  works  at  Omaha,  was 
conveyed  in  wagons  from  Des  Moines, 
Iowa,  that  being  the  only  available  means 
of  transportation  at  the  time. 

For  five  hundred  miles  west  of  Omaha 
the  country  was  bare  of  lumber  save  a 
limited  supply  of  cottonwood  on  the  islands 
in  and  along  the  Platte  River,  wholly  unfit 
for  railroad  purposes.  East  of  the  river, 
the  same  aspect  was  presented,  so  that  the 
company  were  compelled  to  purchase  ties 
cut  in  Michigan,  Pennsylvania,  and  New 
York,  which  cost,  delivered  at  Omaha, 
$2.50  per  tie. 

Omaha,  at  that  time,  1863,  contained  less 
than  3,000  population,  mostly  a trading  peo- 
ple, and  the  railroad  company  were  com- 
pelled to  create,  as  it  were,  almost  every- 
thing. Shops  must  be  built,  forges  erected, 
all  the  machinery  for  successful  work 
must  be  placed  in  position,  before  much 
progress  could  be  made  with  the  work. 
This  was  accomplished  as  speedily  as  cir- 
cumstances would  permit,  and  by  J anuary,  I 
1866,  40  miles  of  road  had  been  constructed, 
which  increased  to  265  miles  during  the 
year;  and  in  1867,  285  miles  more  were 
added,  making  a total  of  550  miles  on 
January  1,  1868.  From  that  time  forward 
the  work  was  prosecuted  with  greatly  in- 
creased energy,  and  on  May  10,  1869,  the 
road  met  the  Central  Pacific  railroad  at 
Promontory  Point,  Utah  Territory — the 
last  534  miles  having  been  built  in  a little 
more  than  fifteen  months ; being  an 
average  of  nearly  one  and  one-fifth  mile 
per  day. 

By  arrangements  with  the  Central  Pa- 
cific Railroad  Company,  the  Union  in 
1870  relinquished  to  the  Central  46  miles 
of  road,  and  again  in  1875,  another  strip  of 
6 miles,  leaving  the  entire  length  of  the 
Union,  1,032  miles,  and  its  junction  with 
the  Central  at  Ogden,  Utah. 

o 

For  Snow  Difficulties,  see  Annex  No.  13. 


CASTELLATED  ROCKS,  GREK 


AND  PACIFIC  COAST  GUIDE. 


33 


EASTEKN  DIVISION. 

OMAHA  TO  NORTH  PLATTE. 


P.  J.  Nichols,  Division  Supt. 


C.  B.  Havens,  Train  Dispatcher. 


WEST 

FROM  OMAHA. 

OMAHA  TIME. 

EAST  FROM  CALIFORNIA. 

Daily 

Emigrant. 

Daily 
Express, 
1st  & 2d  Cl’s 

Dis  ance 
from 
Omaha. 

STATIONS. 

Elevation 

Daily 
Express, 
l8t&2d  Cl’s 

Daily 

Emigrant. 

3 40  pm 

10 :26  a m 

Lv . TRAN  SFER  GROUN  DS . Ar. 

4 :20  p m 

10:20  pm 

4:45  p m 
5:00 

5:30 

5:55 

6:25 

7:10 

7::i0 

7:40 

8:10 

9:00  t 

9:35 

10:15 

10:45 

11:25 

12:00  night 
12:40  am 
1:20 

2:05 

3:00 

11:50  amt 
12:02  pm 
12:22 

12:37 

12:55 

1:22 

1:29 

1:39 

d 

Lv. . 

..♦OMAHA  DEPOT. 
.Summit  Siding.. . . . 

. .Ar. 

...  966.. 
....1142.. 

3 :45  p m t 
3:35 

9 :H0  p m 
9:15 

..  10 

* Gilmore 

....  976.. 

3:17 

8:45 

1!^ 

♦Panillion 

....  972.. 

3:05 

8:20 

21 

^Millard 

...  1047.. 

2:48  . 

7:50 

. . 29  . . 

♦Elkhorn 

....1150.. 

2:28 

7:10 

31 

- - Waterloo 

...  1140.. 

2:20 

6:25 

..  35 

*Valley 

...3147. 

2:10 

6:00 

..  42.... 
..  47.. 

Riverside 

...  1120.. 

1:55 

5:25 

1 .55 

2:30  t 

2:48 

3:08 

3:26 

3:45 

4:05 

4:25 

4:45 

5:10 

5:38 

♦FrATTiont 

....1176.. 

1:40  t 

5:00  t 

A mp.s 

....1270.. 

1:00 

3:45 

..  62 

*North  Bend 

....1259.. 

12:40 

3:08 

69 

Rofrera  

....1359.. 

12:23 

2:15 

76 

. *Schuyler 

....1335.. 

12 :05  p m 

1 30 

. ..Richland ... 

....1440.. 

11:45 

12:50 

92 

*Colum  us 

....1432.. 

11:25 

12:05  pm 

99 

* Jack sou 

....1470.. 

11:05 

11:05 

l09 

*Silvpr  f^reek 

....1534.. 

10:40 

10:20 

..l21.... 

..^32.... 

..U2... 
..148... 
..154.... 
..162  ... 
..170.... 
..178.  .. 
-.183.... 
191 

*Clark’8 

♦T'One.  Tree  

...1610.. 
....  1686.. 

10:10 

9:42 

9:27 

8:35 

4 :0O 

4:50 

5:15 

6:20  t 

Tf  *1 

0 .UD 

A -Qn 

♦Chapmans 

...  1760.. 

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..  ♦NORTH  PL  ATT  R'.. 

. . Lv. 

..27H9.. 

2:20  am 

7:00  pm 

t Meals.  * Telegraph. 

The  attention  of  passengers  is  directed  to  the  elevation  of  each  station. 


Transfer  €r r o n n d s.—These 

grounds  are  about  two  miles  west  of  Coun- 
cil Bluffs,  and  about  half  a mile  east  of 
the  Missouri  River  bridge.  Here,  all  pas- 
sengers, baggage,  express,  and  mails  arriv- 
ing from  the  eastward,  change  to  ihe  cars 
of  the  Union  Pacific  railroad.  The  Union 
2 


Company  have  erected  a large,  fine  build- 
ing,  which  when  finished  will  afford  ample 
aci-ommodation  for  passengers,  and  for  the 
transaction  of  all  kinds  of  business  con- 
nected with  the  Transfer  Grounds. 

Passengers  will  here  need  to  re-check 
their  baggage,  and  secure  tickets  in  one  of 


1 


34  ckofutt’s  neav  overland  tourist 

the  Palace  Sleeping  Cars  that  accopi- 
panies  all  through  trains,  and  thereby  in- 
sure an  opportunity  for  a refreshing  sleep, 
as  well  as  a palace  by  night  and  day. 
This,  however,  costs  an  extra  fee. 

The  charges  are,  over  the  Union  Pacific 
from  Omaha,  $8.00 ; from  Ogden,  over  the 
Central  Pacific,  to  the  Pacific  Coast  cities, 
$6.00. 

But  as  all  cannot  afford  to  ride  in  palace 
cars,  “do  the  next  best  thing,”  and  secure 
— pre-empt,  if  you  please — the  best  seat  you 
can,  and  prepare  to  be  as  happy  as  you 
know  how. 

Sleeping  car  and  stop.^over  privileges  are 
not  allowed  on  second  and  third-class  tick- 
ets. Baggage  can  be  checked  only  to  the 
destination  of  second  and  third-class  tick- 
ets—100  lbs.  allowed  free  on  each  full,  and 
50  lbs.  on  each  half-ticket  of  all  classes. 
Extra  baggage  is  $10  to  $15  per  100  lbs, 
according  to  class.  Passengers  holding 
first-class  tickets  to  San  Francisco,  with 
pre-paid  orders  for  steamer  passage  to 

1 trans-Pacific  ports,  will  be  allowed  250 
lbs.  baggage,  free,  on  presentation  of  such 
orders  to  the  baggage  agent  at  Omaha ; on 
second-class  tickets,  150  lbs.,  free.  Orders 
for  steamship  passage  can  be  purchased  at 
the  Omaha  depot  ticket  office. 

0 

For  Rates  of  Fare,  see  Annex  No.  4. 
o 

There  is  no  longer  any  necessity  of  pur- 
chasing a lunch  basket  of  provisions  to 
take  along,  as  the  eating-houses  are  nu- 
merous— charges,  $1.00  a meal — and  the 
accommodations  at  all  the  principal  sta- 
tions for  all  those  who  wish  to  ‘ stop  over” 
a day  or  two,  are  ample,  charges,  from 
$3.00  to  $4.00  per  day. 

For  a Brief  Sketch  op  Our  Western 
Country  — The  Far  W est  — Con- 
densed History  — Organization  op 
THE  Pacific  Railroad — Land  Grant 
— Cost  op  Construction — Material 
Used  — Importance  op  the  Road — 
Facts  in  Brief — Grumblers— See  An- 
nex No.  5. 

One  Word  More— As  you  are  about  to 
launch  out  upon  the  broad,  sweeping  plains, 
the  barren  desert,  and  the  c:rand  old  moun- 
tains— for  all  these  varied  features  of  the 
earth’s  surface  will  be  encountered  before 

we  reach  the  Pacific  Coast — lay  aside  all 
city  prej  udices  and  ways  f )r  the  time ; leave 
them  here^  and  for  once  be  natural  while 
among  nature’s  loveliest  and  grandest  crea- 
tions. Having  done  this,  you  will  be  pre- 
pared to  enjoy  the  trip— to  appreciate  the 
scenes  which  will  rise  successively  before 
you.  But,  above  all  forget  everything  but 
the  journey;  and  in  this  consists  the  great 
secret  of  having  a good  time  generally. 
i\re  you  ready? — The  bell  rings,  “Adi 
aboard  ” is  sounded,  and  our  train  leaves 
the  “Transfer  Grounds,”  and  directs  its 
course  due  west  towards  the 

Missouri  River  Bridge— The  construc- 
tion of  this  bridge  was  first  authorized  by 
Congress  on  the  25th  of  July,  18L6,  but  very 
little  was  done  until  March,  1868,  when 
work  commenced,  and  was  continued  from 
that  time  until  July  26,  1869,  when  it  was 
suspended.  Nothing  more  was  done  until 
April,  1870,  when  a second  contract  was 
made  with  the  American  Bridge  Company 
of  Chicago,  and  work  again  comm(  need. 
On  the  24th  of  February,  1871,  Congri'ss 
passed  a special  act  authorizing  the  Union 
Pacific  Railroad  Company  to  construct 
this  bridge  across  the  Missouri  River,  and 
to  issue  bonds  to  the  amount  of  $2,500,000. 

The  county  of  Douglas,  Nebraska,  voted, 
under  certain  conditions,  aid  in  county 
bonds  to  the  amount  of  $250,000.  Also, 
Pettawattomie  county,  Iowa,  voted,  under 
certain  conditions,  aid  to  the  amount  of 
$205,000. 

This  bridge  is  a notable  structure  (see 
illustration),  one-half  mile  in  length,  with 
the  approaches  over  one  mile. 

It  is  located  below  the  old  depot,  and  op- 
posite that  part  of  the  city  of  Omaha 
known  as  “Train-Town,”  and  has  a single 

The  bridge  is  known  as  a “Post’s  Pat- 
ent.” The  hollow  irpn  columns  are  22  m 
number,  two  forming  a pier.  These  col- 
umns are  made  of  cast  iron  one-and-three- 
fourths  inches  in  thickness,  8}^  feet  in  di- 
ameter, 10  feet  long,  and  weigh  8 tons  each. 
They  are  bolted  together  air-tight,  and 
sunk  to  the  bed-rock  of  the  river,  in  one 
case,  82  feet  below  low-water. 

After  these  columns  are  seated  on  the 
rock  foundation,  they  are  filled  up  twenty 
feet  with  stone  concrete,  and  from  the 
concrete  to  the  bridge  “seat,”  they  are 
filled  with  regular  masonry.  From  high- 
' water  mark  to  the  bridge  “seat,”  these 

1 columns  measure  50  feet.  The  eleven 

1 spans  are  250  feet  in  length,  making 

AND  PACIFIC  COAST  GUIDE. 


35 


MISSOURI  RIVER  BRIDGE- 

the  iron  part,  between  abutments,  2,750  feet. 

These  columns  were  cast  in  Chicago, 
and  delivered  in  the  shape  ot  enormous 
rings,  10  feet  in  length.  When  they  were 
being  placed  in  position  the  workmen 
would  take  two  or  more  rings,  join  them 
together,  place  the  column  where  it  was  to 
be  sunk,  cover  the  top  with  an  air-lock, 
then  force  the  water  from  the  column  by 
pneumatic  pressure,  ranging  from  10  to  35 
pounds  per  square  inch.  The  workmen 
descend  the  columns  by  means  of  rope- 
ladders,  and  fill  sand-buckets,  which  are 
hoisted  through  the  air-lock  by  a pony-en- 
gine. The  sand  is  then  excavated  about 
two  feet  below  the  bottom  of  the  column, 
the  men  come  out  through  the  air-lock,  a 
leverage,  from  100  to  300  tons,  is  applied, 
the  pneumatic  pressure  is  removed,  and 
the  column  sinks,  from  three  inches  to  two 
and  onc-half  feet — in  one  instance,  the  col- 
umn steadily  sank  down  17  feet.  When- 


-OMAHA IN  THE  DISTANCE, 

ever  the  column  sinks,  the  sand  fills  in 
from  10  to  30  feet~in  one  instance,  40  feet. 
This  has  to  be  excavated  before  another 
sinking  of  a few  inches  can  take  place, 
making  altogether  a slow  and  tedious 
process. 

Soon  after  crossing  the  bridge,  our  train 
stops  in  the  Omaha  depot — a large  build- 
ing with  one  enormous  span  overhead, 
built  in  the  most  substantial  manner,  of 
iron  and  glass,  with  six  tracks  running 
through  it  from  end  to  end.  On  the  south 
side  are  ample  waiting  and  dining-rooms, 
express,  telegraph,  baggage,  ticket,  and 
other  offices.  Passengers  who  wish  to  stop 
over,  will  find  omnibuses  at  the  depot  to 
take  them  and  their  baggage  to  the  hotels, 
or  any  point  in  the  city ; fare,  50  cents ; or, 
they  will  find  street  cars  on  the  north  side 
of  the  depot,  that  leave  every  five  minutes, 
passing  the  principal  hotels,  and  running 
the  whole  length  of  the  city ; fare,  5 cents. 


Ilmalia— This  is  one  of  the  most  pro- 
gressive cities  in  the  West.  It  is  the  county 
SL-at  of  Douglas  county,  situated  on  the 
western  bank  of  the  Missouri  River,  on  a 
slope  about  50  feet  above  high-water  mark, 
with  an  aliiiude  of  9()6  feet  above  sea  level. 
The  first  ‘^claim  cabin”  was  built  here  in 
1854,  and  the  place  named  Omaha,  after 
the  Omaha  Indians. 

it  is  related  that  the  first  postmaster  of 
Omaha  used  his  hat  tor  a postotfice,  and 
many  times,  when  the  postmasier  was  on 
the  prairie,  some  expectant,  anxious  indi- 
vidual, wouid  chase  him  for  miles  until  he 
overtook  the  traveling  postoffice  and  re- 
ceived his  letter.  ‘‘Large  oaks  from  little 
acorns  grow,”  says  the  old  rhyme  ’tis  il- 
lustrated in  this  case.  The  battered-hat 
postoffice  has  given  place  to  a first-class 
postoffice,  commensurate  with  the  future 
growth  of  the  city,  which  now  claims  a 
population  of  24,000. 

In  1875,  the  Government  completed  a 
large  court-house  and  postoffice  building, 
using  a very  fine  quality  ot  Cincinnati 
free-stone,  it  is  122  feet  in  length  by  66 
feet  in  width -four  stories  high— cost 
$3  -0,000,  and  is  one  of  the  most  attractive 
buildings  in  the  city. 

The  {State  capital  was  first  located  here, 
but  was  removed  toLincoln  in  1868.  Omaha 
though  the  first  settlement  made  in  Ne- 
braska, is  a young  city.  The  town  improved 
steadily  until  lb59,  when  it  commenced 
to  gain  very  rapidly.  The  inaugurating  of 
the  Union  Pacific  railroad  gave  it  another 
onward  impetus,  and  since  then  the  growth 
of  the  city  has  been  very  rapid.  There  are 
many  evidences  of  continued  prosperity 
and  future  greatness,  one  of  which,  is  the 
fact  that  there  sue  no  dwelling  houses  in 
the  city“ToLet;”  besides  the  organization 
of  a Board  of  Trade, with  128  members; 
sm  -Iting  and  refining  works,  employing 
140  men,  and  reducing  ores  to  the  value  of 
$5,0jO,000,  annually ; and  three  banks,  with 
a banking  capital  of  $820,000.  In  18  <7, 
there  were  2,974  depositors,  with  average 
deposits  of  $2,587  021.20.  These  banks’ 
“ exchange”  for  the  year,  amounted  to  $38,- 
181,671.38,  and  their  “ currency  shipments” 
to  $8,548,303.00. 

The  receipts  of  wheat,  corn,  rye,  barley, 
oats  and  flax,  at  Omaha,  for  1877, 
amounted  to  1,756,865  bushels;  of  flour 
16,900  barrels.  The  shipments  for  the 
same  time  were:  flour,  5,720  barrels;  of 
the  grains  named  above,  1,795,745. 

Omaha  has  three  daily  newspapers— 


the  Herald,  the  Republican  and  the  Bee; 
two  weeklies,  the  Journal  of  Commerce  and 
the  Commercial  Exchange ; one  tri-weekly, 
the  Omaha  Post,  and  one  monthly,  the 
High  School. 

It  has  17  hotels,— “ hotels  till  you  can’t 
rest,” — chief  of  which  are  the  Grand  Cen- 
tral and  the  Metropolitan.  Of  Churches, 
there  are  19.  Schools,  both  public  and 
private,  are  numerous,  and  if  the  Omaha 
people  feel  proud  of  one  thing  more  than 
another,  it  is  of  their  schools.  The  city 
has  $430,975  invested  in  free  school  prop- 
erty, employs  44  teachers,  and  is  educating 
about  3,000  pupils. 

The  High  School  is  the  finest  build- 
ing of  its  kind  in  the  Western  country,  and 
stands  on  Capitol  Hill,  on  the  site  of  the 
old  State  House,  the  highest  point  in  the 
city,  and  is  the  first  object  which  attracts 
the  attention  of  the  traveler  approaching 
from  the  East,  North  or  South.  Its  eleva- 
tion and  commanding  position  stand  forth 
as  a fitting  monument  to  attest  a pe  « pie’s 
intelligence  and  worth.  See  Annex  No.  6. 

To  the  north  of  the  High  School  build- 
ing, is  the  Creighton  College,  just  com- 
pleted at  a cost  of  $ >5,000,  with  a further 
endowment  of  ^100,000,  the  gift  of  Mrs. 
Edward  Creighton.  The  building  is  54  by 
126  feet — three  stories  and  a basement — 
capable  of  accommodating  480  pupils.  It 
will  be  Si  free  school,  and  conducted  by  the 
Jesuit  Fathers. 

The  annual  report  of  the  Board  of  Trade 
gives  the  amount  expended  for  buildings 
and  improvements,  in  Omaha,  for  1877,  as 
$750,000.— “Figures  talk.”— The  saine  au- 
thority says : “In  addition  to  the  receipts  of 
base  metal  and  ore,  amounting  to  3 249 
car-loads  as  freight,  there  were  received 
$34,385,516  in  gold  bullion  and  coin,  and 
$15,936,843  in  silver  bullion  and  com  by 
the  Union  Pacific  Express  Company.  In 
other  words,  Omaha  handled  over  $60,000,- 
000  outof  a total  production  of  $98,000,000. 

The  Willow  Springs  Distillery,  near  the 
city,  used,  in  1877, 196,550  bushels  of  grain, 
made  624,000  gallons  of  spirits,  paid  to  the 
Government,  for  tax,  $532,856.10,  fattened 
1,500  head  of  cattle,  and  2,000  hogs. 

The  Union  Elevator  is  another  new  es- 
tablishment. It  cost  $15,000,  and  handles 
grain  by  gravity.  It  is  built  on  tlie  side  ot 
a hill,  so  that  cars  are  unloaded  into  the 
top  of  the  building.  Ten  cars  can  be  un- 
loaded into  the  bins  on  the  upper  tr^k, 
and  at  the  same  time  ten  can  be  loadea 
from  the  spout  on  the  lower  side.  The 


AND  TACIFIC  COAST  GUIDE. 


cars  are  unloaded  into 
two  rows  of  pits,  hold- 
ing a carload  each,  the 
upper  bins  running  the 
grain  through  the  clean- 
ei  s,  and  the  lower  bins 
to  the  elevators,  of  which 
there  are  two  in  number, 
although  gravity  does  the 
work  when  cleaning,  and 
grading  is  unnecessary. 

Omaha,  until  recently 
never  possessed  first-class 
hotel  accommodations ; 
none  felt  it  more  than 
the  citizens  themselves. 

This  necessity  induced 
many  of  the  prominent 
and  most  enterprising 
merchants  and  residents 
of  the  city  to  organize  a 
stock  company,  to  build 
what  they  have  called 
the  Grand  Centeral. 

The  latest  Omaha  en- 
terprise is  the  Omaha 
White  Lead  Co.,  organized  in 
with  a paid-up  capital  of  $100,000. 
works  are  to  be  constructed  as  soon  as  pos- 
sible, and  will  be  located  one  half-mile 
west  of  the  U.  P.  Depot.  ^ 

Omaha  has  also  a beautiful  driving 
park,  known  as  Hanscom  Park,  the  gilt 
of  Mr.  A.  J.  Hanscom  and  Mr.  J ames  G. 
McGath.  It  is  situated  about  one  mile 
southwest  from  the  center  of  the  city , con- 
tains 80  acres,  is  in  as  romantic  and  pic- 
turesque a locality  as  one  could  wish,  with 
a perfect  forest  of  shade  trees  and  beauti- 
ful walks,  fountains,  etc.,  and,  in  fact,  is 
“a  thing  of  beauty,”  and  to  the  citizens  of 
Omaha,  we  believe,  will  be  “a  joy  forever.” 

Owing  to  the  wonderful  increase  in  the 
receipts  of  cattle,  at  Omaha,  during  the 
last  year,  amounting  to  95,500  head,  a 
movement  is  on  foot  to  establish  extensive 
stock  yards,  near  the  city. 

Among  the  manufactories  of  Omaha,  is 
an  oil  mill,  that  consumes  $95,000  of  raw 
material  annually. 

Omaha  is  the  headquarters  of  the  De- 
partment of  the  Platte.  The  Omaha  Bar- 
racks were  established  here  in  1868 ; are 
eight  in  number,  capable  of  accomoda- 
ting 1,000  men.  They  are  situated  about 
3 miles  north,  and  in  full  view  of  the  cit)'. 
Latitude,  40  deg.  20  min. ; ^ longitude,  96 
deg.  from  Greenwich.  Eighty  acres  of 
land  are  held  as  reserved,  though  no  reser- 


And a well  kept  house  it  is. 

vation  has  yet  been  declared  at  this  post. 
There  is  an  excellent  carriage-road  to  the 
barracks,  and  a fine  drive  around  them, 
which  affords  pleasure  parties  an  excellent 
opportunity  to  witness  the  dress-parades  of 
“the  boys  in  blue.”  It  is  a favorite  resort. 
The  parade,  the  fine  drive  and  improve- 
ments around  the  place,  calling  out  many 
of  the  fashionable  pleasure-seekers  of 
Omaha.  The  grounds  have  been  planted 
with  shade-trees,  and  in  a few  years  it  will 
become  one  of  ihe  many  pleasant  places 
around  the  growing  city  of  Omaha. 

The  post  is  the  main  distributing  point 
for  all  troops  and  stores  destined  for  the 
West.  The  barracks  were  erected  for  the 
purpose  of  quartering  the  troops  during 
the  winter  season  when  their  services  were 
not  required  on  the  plains,  and  as  a gene- 
ral .rendezvous  for  all  troops  destined  for 
that  quarter. 

Besides  the  Union  Pacific,  there  are 
two  other  railroads  that  branch  off  from 
Omaha. 

The  Omaha  & Northwestern,  and  the 
Omaha  & Plattsmouth  Branch  railroads. 
These  roads  w^ere  chartered  under  the  gen- 
eral railway  act  which  gave  two  thousand 
acres  of  land  for  every  mile  of  road  com- 
pleted before  a specified  time.  ^ The  route 
of  the  Northwestern  is  five  miles  up  the 
Missouri  River  Valley,  then  northwest  to 
the  valley  of  the  Papillion,  thence  to  the 


THE  GRAND  CENTRAL  HOTEL. 

1878, 

The 


38  crofutt’b  new  oyeiiland  tourist 


Elkhorn  River,  and  up  theElkliorii  Valley 
to  the  mouth  of  the  Niobrara.  It  is  now 
completed,  and  cars  are  running  to  Teka- 
mah,  Burt  county — about  50  miles  from 
Omaha.  At  Blair  connections  are  made 
with  the  Sioux  City  & Pacific  railroad. 

The  route  of  the  Omaha  & Plattsmouth 
Branch,  is  down  the  Missouri  River  Valley, 
where  it  crosses  the  Platte  and  runs  to  Ore- 
opolis.  This  road  is  under  the  manage- 
ment of  the  Burlington  & Missouri  River 
Railroad  Co.,  and  makes  close  connections 
at  Oreopolis  with  the  ihain  line,  for  the 
East  and  West. 

At  Omaha,  are  located  the  general  offi- 
ces of  the  Union  Pacific  Railroad  Com- 
pany, in  a fine,  large  building  just  com- 
pleted and  fitted  up  in  the  most  complete 
and  convenient  manner.  This  company 
employs  about  5,000  men;  this  includes 
the  men  employed  in  the  Laramie  rolling 
mill  and  in  the  coal  mines.  There  are 
about  4,000  employed  on  the  road  proper ; 
there  are  over  700  employed  in  the  shops 
at  Omaha,  and  about  800  more  in  the  vari- 
ous offices,  at  stations,  on  the  track,  and  at 
the  depots  at  Omaha,  making  1,500  in  all 
that  are  on  the  Omaha  pay  rolls. 

The  rolling  stock  equipments  consist, 
in  part,  of  168  engines,  25  first-class  passen- 
ger cars,  23  sleepers,  2,345  box  and  flat  cars, 
500  coal  and  120  stock,  together  with  mail, 
express,  baggage,  vray,  and  other  cars, 
making  a total  of  3,060. 

The  company  have  prepared  a building, 
j ust  east  of  their  depot,  for  the  benefit  of 
emigrant  passengers.  The  house  is  given 
rent  free  to  a competent  person  who 
charges  25  cents  each,  for  good  plain 
meals,  and  good  lodgings.  All  gambling, 
emigrant  runners,  peddlers,  ticket-sellers, 
and  “bummers”  are  forbidden  in  the  house 
or  about  the  premises. 

About  one  mile  above  the  bridge,  on  the 
low  lands  fronting  the  river,  the  railroad 
company  have  located  their  principal 
shops  and  store-houses.  They  are  built  of 
brick,  in  the  most  substantial  form,  and 
with  the  out  buildings,  lumber  yard,  tracks, 
etc.,  cover  about  30  acres  of  ground. 

The  machine  shop  is  furnished  with  all 
the  new  and  most  improved  machinery, 
which  is  necessary  for  the  successful  work- 
ing at  all  the  branches  of  car  and  locomo- 
tive repairs  or  car  construction.  The 
round-house  contains  20  stalls;  the 
foundry,  blacksmith  shop,  car  and  paint 
shops,  are  constructed  and  furnished  in 
the  best  manner.  The  company  manufac- 


ture most  of  their  own  cars.  The  passen- 
ger cars,  in  point  of  neatness,  finish, 
strength  of  build  and  size,  are  unsurpassed 
by  any,  and  rivaled  by  few  manufactured 
elsewhere.  It  is  the  expressed  determina- 
tion of  the  Union  Pacific  Company  to  pro- 
vide as  good  cars  and  coaches  for  the  trav- 
eling public  in  style  and  finish  as  those  of 
any  Eastern  road.  They  reason,  that  as  the 
great  trans-continental  railroad  is  the  long- 
est and  grandest  on  the  continent,  its  roll- 
ing-stock should  be  equally  grand  and  mag- 
nificent. From  the  appearance  of  the  cars 
already  manufactured,  they  will  achieve 
their  aesires.  On  the  same  principle,  we 
proposed  to  make  our  Book  superior  to 
any  other. 

Haven't  we  done  so  ? 

Our  train  runs  along  through  the  south- 
ern suburbs  of  the  city,  on  an  ascending 
grade  3 2-10  miles,  to 

^ammet  ISiding— a flag  station, 
where  trains  seldom  stop.  Elevation,  1,142 
feet,  176  higher  than  the  Omaha  depot. 
But  our  route  is  now  downward  for  6 3-10 
miles  to 

€rilmore — The  country  around  this 
station  is  rich  prairie  land,  well  cultivated. 
A small  cluster  of  buildings  stands  near 
the  road ; the  station  is  of  little  importance, 
merely  for  local  accommodation. 

Continuing  our  descent  5 miles,  we  reach 

Papillioii  (Pap-e-o)— Here  we  are  at 
the  lowest  elevation  on  the  whole  line, 
excepting  Omaha,  which  is  6 feet  lower. 
From,  this  station  to  Sherman,  on  the 
Black  Hills,  535  miles,  it  will  be  a grad- 
ual up-grade,  rising  in  the  distance  7,270 
feet. 

Papillion  is  the  county  seat  of  Sarpey 
county  and  has  the  usual  county  buildings, 
some  of  which  are  fine  structures.  The 
Times^  a weekly  paper,  is  published  here. 
The  station  is  on  the  east  side  of  Papillion 
River,  a narrow  stream  of  some  50  miles 
in  length,  which,  running  southward, 
empties  into  Elkhorn  River,  a few  miles 
below  the  station.  The  bridge  over  the 
stream  is  a very  substantial  wooden  struc- 
ture. The  country  about  the  station  has 
been  improved  very  much  within  the  last 
few  years;  it  has  fully  doubled  its  popu- 
lation, which  is  now  about  1,000,  and  evi- 
dences of  thrift  appear  on  every  hand. 

Soon  after  leaving  the  station,  we  cross 
the  Papillion  River,  and  6 4-10  miles  brings 
us  to 


AND  PACIFIC  COAST  GUIDE. 


39 


HANGING  ROCK,  ECHO  CANYON,  UTAH. 


stream  abounds  in  native  fish,  as  well  as  a 
great  variety  of  “fancy  brands”  from  the 
East— a car  load  of  which  were  accidently 
emptied  into  the  water  at  the  bridge,  while 
en  route  to  be  placed  in  the  lakes  and 
streams  of  California,  during  the  spring 
of  1878. 

Wild  turkeys  on  the  plains,  and  among 
the  low  hills,  along  with  deer  and  antelope, 
atford  sport  and  excitement  for  the  hunter. 
The  river  swarms  with  ducks  and  geese  at 
certain  seasons  of  the  year,  that  come  here 
to  nest  and  feed.  The  natural  thrift  of 
the  G-erman  is  manifested  in  his  well-con- 
ducted farms,  comfortable  houses,  sur- 
rounded by  growing  orchards  and  well- 
tilled  gardens.  There  is  no  pleasanter  val- 
ley in  Nebraska  than  this,  or  one  where 
the  traveler  will  find  a better  field  for  ob- 
serving the  rapid  growth  and  great  natural 
resources  of  the  Northwest;  and  should  he 
choose  to  pass  a week  or  more  in  hunting 
and  fishing,  he  will  find  ample  sport 
hospitable  home  with  almost  any  of  the 


Millard — an  unimportant  station  to  the 
tourist,  is  situated  in  the  midst  of  a fine 
agricultural  section— two  stores,  a flouring 
mill  and  hotel;  population  about  100. 
Eight  miles  further,  we  come  to 

Eilkliorn  —which  is  on  the  east  bank 
of  Elkhorn  River,  and  of  considerable  im- 
portance as  a point  for  freight  traffic— it  be- 
ing the  outlet  of  Elkhorn  River  valley. 

Elkhorn  River— is  a stream  of  about 
300  miles  in  length.  It  rises  among  the 
hills  of  the  Divide,  near  where  the  head- 
waters of  the  Niobrara  River  rise  and  wend 
their  way  toward  their  final  destination, 
the  Missouri.  The  course  of  Elkhorn 
creek,  or  river,  is  east  of  south.  It  is  one 
of  the  few  streams  in  this  part  suitable  for 
mill  purposes,  and  possesses  many  excel- 
lent mill  sites  along  its  course.  The  valley 
of  this  stream  averages  about  eight  miles 
in  width,  and  is  of  the  best  quality  of 
farming  land.  It  is  settled  by  Germans 
for  over  100  miles  of  its  length  from  its 
•innr><-irkn  witL  f.hp  Dlfl.t.lP.  RiveV.  The 


40  ckofutt’s  new  overland  tourist 


German  settlers. 

Two  miles  from  Elkhorn  is 

IVaterloo— a small  side-track  station 
where  passenger  trains  seldom  stop.  Here, 
too,  is  a flouring  mill,  store,  school-house, 
and  some  neat  little  cottages  of  the  well-to- 
do  farmers. 

From  this  station  it  is  4 3-10  miles  to 

Valley — This  station  shows  a marked 
improvement  within  the  last  few  year^; 
there  are  a score  of  new  buildings  in  sight ; 
elevation,  1,147  feet.  The  curious  who 
wish  to  note  the  elevation — station  by  sta- 
tion - are  referred  to  the  ‘‘Time  Table”  at 
the  commencement  of  each  division,  where 
the  figures  will  be  lound  for  each  station 
on  the  whole  line  of  road. 

The  Omaha  & Republican 
Valley  Railroad  — branches  oft' 
southwesterly  from  Valley.  It  is  com- 
pleted to  David  City,  61  miles  distant. 

The  road  crosses  the  Platte  River  on  a 
pile  bridge  2,200  feet  long,  and  enters 
Saunders  county,  crosses  the  river  bot- 
tom, and  reaches 

Clear  Creek — the  first  station  from 
Valley,  7 miles  distant. 

Passing  on  over  a rolling  prairie,  5 miles 
further,  we  come  to 

Alvin — a station  named  for  Senator  Al- 
vin Saunders,  of  Nebraska.  This  is  a small 
place,  composed  of  a thrifty  farming 
neighborhood.  Five  miles  from  here  is 

Wahoo — the  county  seat  of  Saunders 
county. 

Wahoo  is  situated  on  a broad  plateau, 
near  the  depot,  in  the  midst  of  a farming 
country,  where  they  raise  60  bushels  of 
corn,  50  bushels  of  oats,  and  25  bushels  of 
wheat  to  the  acre,  and  other  crops  in  pro- 
portion. There  are  three  flouring  mills  in 
the  town.  The  court  house,  school,  and 
other  buildings  are  very  good.  Near  the 
town  is  located  one  of  the  finest  fair 
grounds  and  race-tracks  in  the  Stale.  The 
Wahoo  House  is  the  hotel  to  stop  at,  and 
the  Independent,  a weekly  paper  published 
here,  the  paper  to  subscribe  for,  if  you 
want  to  keep  posted  on  what  is  going  on 
in  and  around  the  country. 

Leaving  Wahoo,  the  face  of  the  country 
becomes  more  rolling,  and  after  crossing 
Wahoo  Creek  and  making  a run  of  eight 
miles,  we  reach 

Weston — It  is  still  young,  but  a very 
prosperous  little  place,  nine  miles  from 
Valaparaso— asmall  place  of  four  stores, 
a hotel,  and  school-house,  situated  on  Oak 
Creek,  on  which  is  some  very  fine  land,  as 


well  as  large  groves  of  oak. 

Brainard — comes  next,  three  miles  from 
Valparaiso,  after  rolling  over  numerous  cuts 
and  rough  country.  Ten  miles  more,  and 
we  are  at  the  end  of  the  track,  at 
David  City — county  seat  of  Butler 
county.  Population  about  250,  with  two 
weekly  newspapers,  the  Bepuhlican  and  the  I 
Press.  There  are  four  churches  and  several  | 
schools,  at  David  City. 

The  hotel  at  which  to  stop  is  the  Saun- 
ders House.  Mr.  S.  H.  H.  Clark,  the 
General  Superintendent  of  the  Union  Pa- 
cific, is  its  President,  and  it  is  understood 
to  be  owned  by  the  Union  Pacific  parties, 
under  whose  management  it  is  now  con- 
ducted. 

We  will  now  return  to  Valley,  and  pro- 
ceed westward.  i 

From  Valley  the  Bluffs  on  the  south 
side  of  the  Platte  River  can  be  seen  in  the 
distance,  but  a few  miles  away,  in  a south- 
westerly direction.  Soon  after  leaving  the 
station  we  catch  the  first  glimpse  of  the  I 
Platte  River,  on  our  left.  Seven  miles  fur-  j 
ther  over  the  broad  plain  brings  us  to 
Riverside — an  unimportant  station, 
from  which  it  is  4 3-10  miles  to 
C'remont  —the  county  seat  of  Dodge  j 
county,  situated  about  three  miles  north  of  I 
the  Platte  River,  and  contains  a population  \ 
of  about  3,500.  Passenger  trains  stop  here,  j 
both  from  the  East  and  the  West,  for  din- 
ner. The  eating  house  is  one  of  the  best 
on  the  whole  line. 

The  company  have  here,  besides  their 
excellent  depot,  a round-house  with  six 
stalls.  The  public  buildings  include  a jai' 
and  court-house,  seven  churches,  and  somt  I 
fine  school -houses.  Also  a fine  opera 

house.  The  Occidental  is  the  principal 
hotel.  Eight  years  ago  we  said:  “If 
was  a thriving  place  in  the  midst  of 
a beautiful  country.”  Now  it  is  a city 
of  no  mean  pretentions.  Within  the  pasf 
eight  years  there  has  been  built  nearly 
eight  hundred  dwelling  houses,  with  stores 
of  all  kinds  in  proportion.  All  of  this 
“beautiful  country”  has  been  taken  up  and 
occupied  by  thrifty  farmers,  who  are  reap- 
ing an  abundant  reward  for  their  labor. 

The  Herald,  a daily  and  weekly,  and  the 
Tribune — weekly,  are  the  newspapers  pub- 
lish ♦^•d  here. 

The  Sioux  City  & Pacific  R.  R.  con- 
nects here  with  the  U.  P.  and  runs 
through  to  St.  J ohns,  Iowa,  where  it  con- 
nects with  the  Chicago  & Northwestern 
R.  R. 


AND  PACIFIC  COAST  GUIDE. 


41 


It  is  claimed  this  route  is  33  miles 
shorter  to  Chicago  than  via  Omaha,  but  we 
do  not  know  of  any  througb  travel  ever 
going  by  this  line,  and  judge  the  local 
travel  to  be  its  sole  support. 

The  Fremont  & Elkhorn  Valley  rail- 
road to  the  northward  is  completed  to 
Wisner,  about  50  miles,  and  trains  are  run- 
ning regularly.  This  road  runs  through  a 
ve^y  rich  and  well  cultivated  country, 
where  wheat  yields  as  high  as  30  bushels 
to  the  acre. 

Fremont  is  connected  with  the  south 
side  of  the  Platte  by  a wagon  bridge  that 
cost  over  $50,000. 

The  Platte  River — We  are  now  going 
up  the  Platte,  and  for  many  miles  we  shall 
pass  closely  along  the  north  bank ; at  other 
' times,  the  course  of  the  river  can  only  be 
. traced  by  the  timber  growing  on  its  banks. 
Broad  plains  are  the  principal  features, 
skirted  in  places  with  low  abrupt  hills, 
which  here,  in  this  level  country,  rise  to 
the  dignity^  of  “blulSfs.” 

It  would  never  do  to  omit  a description 
of  this  famous  stream,  up 
the  banks  of  which  so  many 
emigrants  toiled  in  the 
“Whoa,  haw”  times,  from 
1850  to  the  time  when  the 
railroad  superseded  the  “prai- 
rie schooner.”  How  many 
blows  from  the  ox-whip  have 
fallen  on  the  sides  of  the  pa- 
tient oxen  as  they  toiled  along, 
hauling  the  ponderous  wag- 
ons of  the  freighters,  or  the 
lighter  vehicles  of  the  emi- 
grant! How  often  the  sharp 
ring  of  the  “ popper  ” aroused 
the  timid  hare  or  graceful 
antelope,  and  frightened 
them  away  from  their  meal 
of  waving  grass!  How  many 
tremendous,  jaw  - breaking 
oaths  fell  from  the  lips  of 
the  “bull-whackers”  during 
that  period,  we  will  not  even 
guess  at;  but  pious  divines 
tell  us  that  there  is  a Statisti- 
cian who  has  kept  a record 
of  all  such  expletives;  to 
that  authority  we  refer  our 
readers  who  are  fond  of  fig- 
ures. Once  in  a while,  too, 
the  traveler  will  catch  a 
glimpse  of  a lone  grave, 
marked  by  a rude  head-board, 
on  these  plains ; and  with  the 


time  and  skill  to  decipher  the  old  and 
time-stained  hieroglyphics  with  which  it 
is  decorated,  will  learn  that  it  marks  the 
last  resting-place  of  some  emigrant  or 
freighter,  who,  overcome  by  si(  kness,  laid 
down  here  and  gave  up  the  fainting  spirit 
to  the  care  of  Him  who  gave  it ; or,  per- 
chance, will  learn  that  the  tenant  of  this 
rentless  house  fell  while  defending  his 
wife  and  children  from  the  savage  Indians, 
who  attacked  the  train  in  the  gray  dawn  or 
darker  night.  There  is  a sad,  brief  his- 
tory connected  with  each  told  to  the  passer- 
by, mayhap  in  rude  lines,  possibly  hy  the 
broken  arrow  or  bow,  rudely  drawn  on  the 
mouldering  head-board.  However  rude  or 
rough  the  early  emigrants  may  have  been, 
it  can  never  be  charged  to  them  tli  it  they 
ever  neglected  a comrade.  The  sick  were 
tenderly  nursed,  the  dead  decently  buried, 
and  their  graves  marked  by  men  who  had 
shared  with  them  the  perils  of  the  trip. 
Those  were  days,  and  these  plains  the 
place  that  tried  men’s  mettle;  and  here  the 
Western  frontiersman  shone  superior  to  all 


HIGH  SCHOOL,  OMAHA. 


42  cuoputt’s  xew  overland  tourist 


others  who  ventured  to  cross  the  “vast 
desert,”  which  stretched  its  unknown 
breadth  between  him  and  the  land  of  his 
desires.  Brave^  cool  and  wary  as  the  sav- 
age^ with  his  unerring  iHjie  on  his  arm,  he 
was  more  than  a match  for  any  red  devil  he 
might  encounter.  Patient  under  adversity, 
fertile  in  resmrces,  he  was  an  invalu  ible 
aid  at  all  times;  a true  friend,  and  bitter 
foe.  This  type  of  people  is  fast  passing 
away. 

The  change  wTought  within  the  last 
few  years  has  robbed  the  plains  of  its 
most  at  ractive  feature,  to  those  who  are 
far  away  from  the  scene— the  emigrant 
train.  Once,  the  south  bank  of  the  Platte 
was  one  broad  thoroughfare,  whereon  the 
long  trains  of  the  emigrants,  with  their 
white-covered  wagons,  could  be  seen 
stretching  away  for  many  miles  in  an  almost 
unbroken  chain.  Now,  on  the  north  side  of 
the  same  river,  in  almost  full  view  of  the 
“old  emigrant  load,”  the  cars  are  bearing 
the  freight  and  passengers  rapidly  west- 
w^ard,  while  the  oxen  tliat  used  to  toil  so 
wearily  along  this  route,  have  been  trans- 
formed into  “western  veal”  to  tickle  the 
palates  of  those  passengers,  or  else,  like 
Tiny  Tim,  they  have  been  compelled  to 
“move  on”  to  some  new  fields  of  labor. 

To  give  some  idea  of  the  great  amount 
of  freighting  done  on  these  plains  we  pre- 
sent a few  figures,  which  were  taken  from 
the  books  of  freighting  films  in  Atchison, 
Kansas.  In  1865,  this  place  was  the  prin- 
cipal point  on  the  Missouri  River,  from 
which  freight  was  forwarded  to  the  Great 
West,  including  Colorado,  Utah,  Montana, 
&c.  There  were  loaded  at  this  place, 
4,480  wagons,  drawn  by  7,310  mules,  and 
29,720  oxen.  To  control  and  drive  these 
trains,  an  army  of  5,610  men  was  em- 
ployed. The  freight  taken  by  these  trains 
amounted  to  27,000  tons.  Add  to  these 
authenticated  accounts,  the  estimated  busi- 
ness of  the  other  shipping  points,  and  the 
amount  is  somewhat  astounding.  Compe- 
tent authority  estimated  the  amount  of 
freights  shipped  during  that  season  from 
Kansas  City,  Leavenworth,  St.  Joe,  Omaha 
and  Plattsmouth,  as  being  fully  equal,  if  not 
more  than  was  shipped  from  Atchison, 
with  a corresponding  number  of  men, 
wagons,  mules  and  oxen.  Assuming  these 
estimates  to  be  correct,  we  have  this  result : 
During  1865,  there  were  employed  in  this 
business,  8,960  wagons,  14,620  mules,  59,- 
440  cattle,  and  1 1 ,220  men,  who  moved  to 
its  destination,  54,000  tons  of  freight.  To 


accomplish  this,  the  enormous  sum  of  $7,- 
289,300  was  invested  in  teams  and  wagons, 
alone. 

But  to  return  to  the  river,  and  leave  facts 
and  figures  for  something  more  interesting. 
“But,”  says  the  reader,  “Ain’t  the  Platte 
Ri\’er  a fact?”  Not  much,  for  at  times, 
after  you  pass  above  Julesburg,  there  is 
more  fancy  than  fact  in  the  streams.  In 
1863,  teamsters  were  obliged  to  excavate 
pits  in  the  sand  of  the  river-bed  before  they 
could  find  water  enough  to  water  their 
stock.  Again,  although  the  main  stream 
looks  like  a mighty  river,  broad  and  ma- 
jestic, it  is  as  deceiving  as  the  “make  up” 
of  a fashionable  woman  of  to-day.  Many 
places  it  looks  broad  and  deep ; try  it,  and 
you  will  find  that  your  feet  touch  the 
treacherous  sand  ere  your  instep  is  under 
water ; another  place,  the  water  appears  to 
be  rippling  along  over  a smooth  bottom, 
close  to  the  surface ; try  that,  and  in  you 
go,  over  your  head  in  water,  thick  with 
yellowish  sand.  You  don’t  like  the  Platte 
when  you  examine  it  in  this  manner.  The 
channel  is  continually  shifting,  caused  by 
the  vast  quantities  of  sand  which  are  con- 
tinually floating  down  its  muddy  tide.  The 
sand  is  very  treacherous,  too,  and  woe  to 
the  unlucky  wfight  w^ho  attempts  to  cross 
this  stream  before  he  has  become  acquaint 
ed  with  the  fords.  Indeed,  he  ought  to  be 
introduced  to  the  river  and  all  its  branches 
before  he  undertakes  the  perilous  task.  In 
crossing  the  river  in  early  times,  should 
the  wagons  come  to  a stop,  down  they  sank 
in  the  yielding  quicksand,  until  they  were 
so  firmly  imbedded  that  it  required  more 
than  double  the  original  force  to  pull  them 
out ; and  often  they  must  be  unloaded,  to 
prevent  the  united  teams  from  pulling 
them  to  pieces,  while  trying  to  lift  the  load 
and  wagon  from  the  sandy  bed.  The 
stream  is  generally  very  shallow  during 
the  fall  and  winter ; in  many  places  no 
more  than  six  or  eight  inches  in  depth, 
over  the  whole  width  of  the  stream.  Nu- 
merous small  islands,  and  some  quite 
large,  are  seen  while  passing  along,  which 
will  be  noticed  in  their  proper  place. 

The  Platte  River  has  not  done  much  for 
navigation,  neither  will  it,  yet  it  drains  the 
waters  of  a vast  scope  of  country,  thereby 
rendering  the  immense  valleys  fertile; 
many  thousand  acres  of  which,  during  the 
past  few  years,  have  been  taken  up  and 
successfully  cultivated. 

The  average  width  of  the  river,  from 
where  it  empties  into  the  Missouri  to  the 


AND  PACIFIC  COAST  GUIDE. 


43 


junction  of  the  North  and  South  Forks,  is 
not  far  from  three-lourths  of  a mile;  its 
average  depth  is  six  inches.  In  the  months 
of  September  and  October  the  river  is  at 
its  lowest  stage. 

The  lands  lying  along  this  river  are  a 
portion  of  the  land  granted  to  the  Union 
Pacific  railroad,  and  the  company  are 
^flering  liberal  terms  and  great  inducements 
X)  settlers.  Much  of  the  land  is  as  fine 
igri cultural  and  grazing  land  as  can  be 
hund  in  any  section  of  the  Northwest. 
Should  it  be  deemed  necessary  to  irrigate 
-hese  plains,  as  some  are  inclined  to  think 
s the  case,  there  is  plenty  of  fall  in  either 
brk,  or  in  the  main  river,  for  the  purpose, 
ind  during  the  months  when  irrigation  is 
•equired,  there  is  plenty  of  water  for  that 
Purpose,  coming  from  the  melting  snow  on 
he  mountains.  Ditches  could  be  led  from 
■fither  stream  and  over  the  plains  at  little 
expense.  Many,  however,  claim  that  in 
)rdinary  seasons,  irrigation  is  unnecessary. 

From  Omaha  to  the  Platte  River,  the 
i course  of  the  road  is  southerly,  until  it 
Iiears  the  river,  when  it  turns  to  the  west, 
forming,  as  it  were,  an  immense  elbow. 
Chence  along  the  valley,  following  the 
iver,  it  runs  to  Kearny,  with  a slight 
outherly  depression  of  its  westerly  course ; 
jmt  from  thence  to  the  North  Platte  it  re- 
overs  the  lost  ground,  and  at  this  point  is 
learly  due  west  from  Fremont,  the  first 
►oint  where  the  road  reaches  tlie  river 
^iiat  is  as  far  as  we  will  trace  the  course 
f the  road  at  present, 
i The  first  view  of  the  Platte  Valley  is  im- 
•ressive,  and  should  the  traveler  chance  to 
ehold  it  for  the  first  time  in  the  spring  or 
arly  summer,  it  is  then  very  beautiful ; 
hould  he  behold  it  for  the  first  time,  when 
!ie  heat  of  the  summer’s  sun  has  parched 
lie  plains,  it  may  not  seem  inviting ; its 
eauty  may  be  gone,  but  its  majestic  grand- 
ur  still  remains.  The  eye  almost  tires  in 
parching  for  the  boundary  of  this  vast  ex- 
anse,  and  longs  to  behold  some  rude  moun- 
lin  peak  in  the  distance,  as  proof  that 
lie  horizon  is  not  the  girdle  that  en- 
circles this  valley. 

1 1 When  one  gazes  on  mountain  peaks  and 
! ismal  gorges,  on  foaming  cataracts  and 
I mountain  torrents,  the  mind  is  filled  with 
we  and  wonder,  perhaps  fear  of  Him  who 
jath  created  these  grand  and  sublime  won- 
jiers.  On  the  other  hand,  these  lovely 
dains  and  smiling  valleys — clothed  in 
erdure  and  decked  with  flowers — fill  the 
lind  with  love  and  veneration  for  their 


Creator,  leaving  on  the  heart  the  impres- 
sion of  a joy  and  beauty  which  shall  last 
forever. 

Returning  to  Fremont — and  the  railroad 
— we  proceed  seven  miles  to 

Ames— formerly  called  Ketchum— 
only  a side  track.  Near  this  station,  and  at 
other  places  along  the  road,  the  traveler 
will  notice  fields  fenced  with  cottonwood 
hedge,  which  appears  to  thrive  wonderful- 
ly. Eight  miles  further  we  reach 

Aorth  Bend  — which  is  situated  near 
the  river  bank,  and  surrounded  by  a fine 
agricultural  country,  where  luxuriant 
crops  of  corn  give  evidence  of  the  fertility 
of  the  soil.  The  place  has  materially  im- 
proved within  the  last  few  years  and  now 
has  some  fine  stores,  two  hotels,  a grain 
elevator,  and  about  75  dwellings  and 
places  of  business,  and  a population  of 
about  350.  Young  cottonwood  groves  have 
been  set  out  in  many  places — good  fences 
built,  and  altogether  the  towm  has  a pro- 
gressive appearance. 

Leaving  the  station,  for  a few  miles  the 
railroad  track  is  laid  nearer  the  river’s 
bank  than  at  any  point  between  Fremont 
and  North  Platte.  Seven  miles  from  here 
we  arrive  at 

Bogers — a new  station,  and  appar- 
ently one  of  promise — 7 4-10  miles  further 
is 

^^chuyler— the  county  seat  of  Colfax 
county,  containing  about  800  inhabitants, 
and  rapidly  improving.  It  has  five 
churches,  two  very  good  hotels,  with  court- 
house, jail,  school-houses,  many  stores,  a 
grain  elevator,  and  several  small  manu- 
factories. The  bridge  over  the  Platte 
River,  two  miles  south,  centres  at  this 
town  a large  amount  of  business  from  the 
south  side  of  the  river. 

From  Schuyler  it  is  7 8-10  miles  to 

Bicli land— formerly  called  Cooper — 
a small  side-track  station,  from  which  it  is 
eight  miles  to 

Colnmbnis — the  county  seat  of  Platte 
county — eight  miles  west  of  Richland.  It 
contains  about  2,000  inhabitants,  has  two 
banks,  six  churches,  several  schools,  good 
hotels,  and  two  weekly  newspapers, — the 
Platte  Journal  and  the  Era.  The  Ham- 
mond ii,  the  principal  hotel. 

Columbus — from  its  location  in  the 
midst  of  the  finest  agricultural  lands  in 
the  Platte  Valley,  with  the  rich  valley  of 
the  Loup  on  the  north — has  advantages 
that  will,  at  no  distant  day,  make  it  a city 
of  many  thousand  inhabitants. 


1 


crofutt’s  new  overland  tourist 


44 


George  Francis  Train  called  Columbus 
the  geographical  center  of  the  United 
States,  and  advocated  the  removal  of  the 
National  Capitol  to  this  place.  We  have 
very  little  doubt,  should  George  ever  be 
elected  President,  he  will  carry  out  the 
idea,  when  we  shall  behold  the  Capital  of 
the  Union  located  on  these  broad  plains— but 
we  shall  not  buy  corner  lois  on  the  strength 
of  the  removal. 

In  July  and  August,  1867,  Columbus  was 
a busy  place,  and  the  end  of  the  track. 
Over  10,000,000  lbs.  of  Government  corn 
and  other  freight  was  re-shipped  from 
here  to  Fort  Laramie,  and  the  military- 
camps  in  the  Powder  River  country.  This 
was  the  first  shipment  of  freight  over  the 
Union  Pacific  railroad. 

Numerous  railroads  to  the  north  and 
south  are  projected  from  Columbus,  and 
its  future  prospects  are  bright. 

Soon  after  leaving  Columbus  we  cross 
Loup  Fork  on  a fine  bridge,  constructed  in 
the  most  substantial  manner.  This  stream 
rises  75  miles  northeast  of  North  Platte 
City,  and  runs  through  a fine  farming 
country  until  it  unites  with  the  Platte. 
Plenty  of  fish  of  various  kinds  are  found 
in  the  stream,  and  its  almost  innumerable 
tributaries.  These  little  streams  water  a 
section  of  country  unsurpassed  in  fertility 
and  agricultural  resources.  Game  in 
abundance  is  found  in  the  valley  of  the 
Loupe,  consisting  of  deer,  antelope,  turkeys 
and  prairie  chickens,  while  the  streams 
abound  in  ducks  and  geese. 

From  Columbus  it  is  7 6-10  miles  to 

Jackson — surrounded  by  well-culti- 
vated fields. 

Passing  along,  and  just  before  reaching 
the  next  station,  we  cross  a small  stream 
called  Silver  Creek.  From  Jackson  it  is 
10  1-10  miles  to  the  next  station — 

Silver  Creek — This  section  of  coun- 
try has  improved  very  rapidly  during  the 
last  few  years,  and  we  notice  many  sub- 
stantial evidences  of  thrift  in  every  direc- 
tion— many  new  buildings. 

To  the  northeast  of  this  station  is  situ- 
ated the  Pawnee  Indian  Reservation,  but 
not  visible  from  the  cars.  It  covers  a tract 
of  country  15x30  miles  in  area,  most  of 
which  is  the  best  of  land.  About  2,000  acres 
are  under  cultivation.  The  tribe  number 
about  2,000,  are  provided  with  an  “Agen- 
cy” and  all  the  usual  accompanying  “civ- 
ilization !” 

Again  we  speed  westward,  7 3-10  miles  to 


Clark’s — a small  station  named  in 
honor  of  the  General  Superintendent  of  the 
road. 

The  surrounding  country  is  remarkably 
rich  in  the  chief  wealth  of  a nation — agri- 
culture— and  has  made  rapid  progress. 
Of  late  years,  several  new  stores,  a church, 
school-house,  and  many  dwellings  have 
been  added,  indicating  permanent  pros- 
perity. 

From  Clark’s  it  is  1 1 2-10  miles  to 

liOne  Tree— the  county  seat  of  Mer- 
rick county.  It  contains  a population  of 
about  600,  and  is  surrounded  by  thrifty 
farmers.  The  “old  emigrant  road”  from 
Omaha  to  Colorado  crosses  the  river  op- 
posite this  point,  atthe  old  “Shinn’s  Ferry.” 
A bridge  is  now  contemplated,  and  will  be 
found  of  great  commercial  advantage  to 
the  town. 

The  more  recent  settlers  of  Lone  Tree, 
call  the  place  “Central  City,”  in  anticipa- 
tion of  the  early  completion  of  the  Ne- 
braska Central  railroad  to  this  place. 
Cottonwood  trees  have  been  planted  by 
many  of  the  settlers  about  their  homes, 
which  present  a cheerful  and  homelike  ap- 
pearance. 

Passengers  should  notice  the  railroad 
track — for  40  miles  it  is  constructed  as 
straight  as  it  is  possible  to  build  a road. 
When  the  sun  is  low  in  the  horizon,  at 
certain  seasons  of  the  year,  the  view  is  very 
fine. 

Rolling  along  10  4-10  miles,  and  we  ar- 
rive at 

Chapman’ll — a small  place,  compris- 
ing a few  buildings,  near  the  station,  but 
the  country  around  about  is  a broad  prai- 
rie, and  nearly  all  improved  and  settled  by 
thrifty  farmers. 

Prom  Chapman,  we  continue  west  5 5-10 
miles  to 

Liockwood— a small  side-track  station. 
Six  miles  further  and  we  are  at  our  supper 
station, 

Orand  Island— the  county  seat  of 
Hall  county,  which  contains  a population 
of  about  1,500.  It  is  provided  with  the 
usual  county  buildings,  several  banks, 
churches  of  various  denominations,  good 
schools,  several  hotels,  many  stores,  some 
very  pretty  private  residences,  and  two 
weekly  newspapers,  the  Independent  and 
the  Times;  also  one  of  the  largest  steam 
fiouring  mills  in  the  State. 

Grand  Island  is  a regular  eating  station, 
where  trains  going  west  stop  30  minutes 
for  supper,  and  those  for  the  East  liave  the 


AND  PACIFIC  COAST  GUIDE. 


45 


devil’s  slide,  WEBKR  canyon,  UTAH. 


‘same  length  of  time  for  breakfast  The 
eating-house  is  on  the  right  or  north  side 
,of  the  track,  in  a large,  new  building,  and 
the  meals  served  are  very  good.  It  is 
claimed  that  this  town  will  become  a great 
railroad  center — it  may;  when  it  does  we 
shall  be  pleased  to  record  the  fact.  One 
thing  is  certain,  the  bridge  over  the  Platte 
River  to  the  south,  and  the  one  over  Loupe 
,Fork  to  the  northward,  has  had  a tendency 
to  center  a large  amount  of  trade  at  this 
point. 

The  Union  Pacific  Railroad  Company 
.have  located  here  machine  and  repair 
[‘shops,  round-house,  etc., being  the  end  of 
Nhe  first  power  division  west  of  Omaha. 

This  station  was  named  after  Grand  Is- 
nland  in  the  Platte  River,  two  miles  distant, 
pone  of  the  largest  in  the  river,  being  about 

},— — 

i'  Chinese  Cheap  Labor— ‘‘ Work  for  nothing  and 
p hoard  yourself”— from  the  inhabitants  of  your 
) neighbor’s  hen-roost. 


80  miles  in  length  bv  four  in  width.  The 
Island  is  well  woodea — cottonwood  princi- 
pally. It  is  a reservation  held  by  the  Gov- 
ernment, and  is  guarded  by  soldiers. 

When  the  ro  <d  was  first  built  to  Grand 
Island,  buffalo  were  quite  numerous,  their 
range  extending  over  200  miles  to  the 
wesfward.  In  the  spring,  these  animals 
were  wont  to  cross  the  Platte,  from  the  Ar- 
kansas and  Republican  valleys,  where  they 
had  wintered,  to  the  northern  country,  re- 
turning again,  sleek  and  fat  late  in  the 
fall;  but  since  the  country  has  become 
sett  ed,  few,  if  any,  have  been  seen.  In 
■i860,  immense  numbers  were  on  these 
plains  on  the  south  side  of  the  Platte,  near 
Fort  Kearny,  the  herds  being  so  large 
that  often  emigrant  teams  had  to  stop 
while  they  were  crossing  the  road.  At 


It  is  said  that  in  San  Francisco  the  people  can 
drink,  and  carry  more  without  staggering,  than  in 
any  city  of  the  world. 


1 


ckofutt’s  new  overland  tourist 


46 


Fort  Kearny,  in  1859  and  1860,  an  order 
was  issued  forbidding  the  soldiers  to  shoot 
the  buffalo  on  the  parade  ground. 

Proceeding  westward  7 7-10  miles,  we 
reach 

Alda— a small  station  just  east  of 
Wood  River. 

After  crossing  the  river,  the  road  follows 
along  near  the  west  bank  for  many  miles, 
through  a thickly  settled  country,  the 
farms  in  summer  being  covered  with  lux- 
uriant crops  of  wheat,  oats  and  corn.  Wood 
River  rises  in  the  bluffs,  and  runs  south- 
east until  its  waters  unite  with  those  of  the 
Platte.  Along  the  whole  length  of  the 
stream  and  its  many  tributaries,  the  land 
for  agricultural  purposes  is  surpassed  by 
none  in  the  Northwest,  and  we  might  say 
in  the  world.  The  banks  of  the  river  aud 
tributaries  are  well  wooded,  the  streams 
abound  in  fish  and  wild-fowl,  and  the 
country  adjacent  is  well  supplied  wiih 
game,  deer,  antelope,  turkeys,  chickens, 
rabbits,  etc.,  forming  a fine  field  for  the 
sportsman. 

This  valley  was  one  of  the  earliest  settled  in 
Central  Nebraska,  the  hardy  pioneers  tak- 
ing up  their  lands  when  the  savage  Indians 
held  possession  of  this,  their  favorite  hunt- 
ing-ground. Many  times  the  settlers 
were  driven  from  their  homes  by  the  In- 
dians, suffering  fearfully  in  loss  oflife  and 
property,  but  as  often  returned  again, 
and  again,  until  they  succeeded  in  secur- 
ing a firm  foothold.  To-day  the  evidences 
of  the  struggle  can  be  seen  in  the  low, 
strong  cabins,  covered  on  top  with  turf, 
and  the  walls  loop-holed,  and  enclosed 
with  the  same  material,  which  guards  the 
roofs  from  the  fire-brands,  bullets  and  ar- 
rows of  the  warriors. 

From  Alda,  it  is  8 1-10  miles  to 

W'ood  JRiver — a small  station.  Here 
can  be  seen  one  of  the  old-fashioned  speci- 
mens of  plains  station-men,  in  the  person 
of  Charley  Davis.  He  keeps  an  eating- 
house  and  saloon,  where  freight  and  emi- 
grant trains  often  stop  for  meals.  Char- 
ley’s specialty  is  the  “Jerusalem  Pickle.” 
A good  “square  meal”  is  served  for  50 
cents. 

Passing  on  7 5-10  miles,  we  reach 

l^helton — a side-track,  where  a flour- 
ing mill,  store,  and  a few  dwelling  houses 
constitute  the  place.  To  the  westward  5 
8-10  miles,  is 

Gibbon. — It  is  situated  in  the  midst  of 
a fine  farming  country,  was  once  the  coun- 
ty seat  of  Buffalo  county,  and  is  a thriving 


place,  with  a population  of  about  100. 

Proceeding,  it  is  8 4-10  miles  to 

JSlielby— (formerly  Kearny)— a small 
station  of  little  account. 

Westward  again  4 miles,  and  we  reach 
a place  of  some  importance, 

Kearny  Junction— named  for  the 
old  fort  of  that  name  on  the  south  side  of 
the  river,  nearly  opposite — the  county  seat 
of  Buffalo  county.  Here  the  Burlington 
& Missouri  River  railroad,  and  the  Den- 
ver & St.  Joseph  railroad,  form  a junction 
with  the  Union  Pacific  coming  in  from  the 
south,  on  the  same  track,  which  crosses  a 
bridge  over  the  Platte  River,  two  miles 
distant. 

In  1873,  the  first  few  buildings  were 
erected  here,  since  which  time  the  place 
has  improved  wonderfully.  It  now  con- 
tains a population  of  over  1,200,  with  two 
weekly  newspapers,  the  Times  and  the 
Press,  and  one  daily ; think  of  that,  O ye 
Pilgrims ! for  a place  only  five  years  old — 
the  Daily  Press  would  be  a credit  to  any 
city  of  twenty  times  the  population  of  this! 

The  local  business  coming  in  on  the  B. 
& M.  and  the  St.  Joseph  roads,  makes  this 
place  one  of  unusual  activity  and  business 
promise.  The  town  contains  the  usual 
county  buildings,  which  are  built  of  brick, 
has  two  banks,  six  fine  churches,  two 
schools,  many  stores  of  all  kinds,  several 
hotels — the  Atkins  and  the  Grand  Central 
are  the  principal — and  some  fine  private 
residences. 

The  country  around  the  town  is  not  as 
good  agricultural  land  as  we  have  seen 
further  to  the  eastward,  yet  some  good 
crops  cf  grain  are  raised,  and  large  quanti- 
ties are  hauled  here,  to  be  shipped  to  the 
East,  West  and  South.  ! 

From  this  point  west,  the  country  is  oc-  i 
cupLed  principally  by  the  stock  men. 

Stages  leave  here  daily,  except  Sunday,  | 
for  the  Republican  Valley,  and  all  interme-  j 
diate  points,  carrying  the  U.  S.  mail  to 
Franklin,  Bloomington,  Republican  City, 
Orleans  and  Melrose,  where  connections 
are  made  with  stages  for  eveiy  town  in  the 
Upper  Republican  Valley  and  Northern 
Kansas. 

Let  us  take  a look  at  the  grounds  on 
which  stood  old 

Fort  Kearny — This  post  was  first 
established  at  Fort  Childs,  Indian  Terri- 
tory, in  1848,  by  volunteers  of  the  Mexican 
war — changed  to  Fort  Kearny  in  March, 
1849.  In  1858  the  post  was  re-built  by  the  ! 
late  Brevet-Colonel  Charles  May,  3d  Dra-  j 


AND  PACIFIC  COAST  GUIDE, 


47 


goons.  It  is  situated 
five  miles  south  of 
Kearny  station,  and 
nine  miles  via  Bur- 
lington & Missouri 
railroad  from  Kearny 
junction,  on  the  south 
bank  of  the  Platte, 
which  is  at  this  point 
three  miles  wide,  and 
filled  with  small  isl- 
ands. The  fort  is  in 
latitude  40  deg.  33 
min.,  longitude  99  deg. 
6 min. 

In  the  fall  of  1872, 
all  the  Government 
buildings,  woith  mov- 
ing, were  removed  to 
Korth  Platte  and  Sid- 
ney, on  the  Union  Pa- 
cific railroad,  291  and 
412  miles,  respective- 
ly, west  from  Omaha, 
and  the  post  abandon- 
ed. The  remains  of  the 
dead  bodies  of  soldiers, 
buried  at  Kearny,  were 
taken  up  and  re-inter- 
ed  in  the  National 
Cemetery,  at  Fort  Mc- 
Pherson. 

Two  miles  above  the 
fort,  on  the  south  bank, 
is  Kearny  City,  in  the 
early  days  more  com- 
monly called  “ Dobey 
Town.”  This  was  once 
a great  point  with  the 
old  Overland  Stage 
Company,  and  at  that 
time  contained  about 
500  inhabitants,  the 
greater  portion  of 
which  left  upon  the 
abandonment  of  the 
line  and  the  south-side 
route  of  travel.  But 


CROSSING  THE  SANGRE  DE-CHRISTO  MOUNTAINS 
Altitude,  9,339  feet.  Denver  and  Kio  Grande  Railroad, 


we  are  told  settlers  are  coming  in,  and  it 
will  soon  regain  its  “ old  time  ” figures. 

Returning  to  Kearny  Junction,  5 9-10 
miles  brings  us  to 

Stevenson — a side-track — unimpor- 
tant. Again,  10  3-10  miles  west  is 

Him  Creek— a small  place  of  several 
stores  and  a few  dwellings. 

Soon  after  leaving  the  station,  we  cross 
Elm  Creek,  a small,  deep,  and  quite  lengthy 
stream.  It  was  well  wooded  before  the 


advent  of  the  railroad,  the  timber  consist- 
ing almost  entirely  of  red  elm,  rarely 
found  elsewhere  in  this  part  of  the 
country. 

From  Elm  Creek  station  it  is  9 miles  to 

Overton — This  is  another  small  sta- 
tion of  a few  buildings.  It  is  situated  on  a 
branch  of  Elm  Creek. 

The  Platte  Valley  along  here,  and  for  the 
last  fifty  miles,  is  very  broad ; nearly  all 
the  best  land  has  been  taken  up,  or  pur- 


crofutt’s  new  overland  tourist 


48 


chased,  but  only  a small  portion  is  under 
cultivation. 

Passing  on,  4 miles  brings  us  to 
Josselyn — a side-track  station,  named 
after  the  paymaster  of  the  road,  a much 
more  important  person  to  the  employes 
than  the  station,  as  trains  do  not  always 
stop  here,  but  roll  on  live  miles  further  to 
Flam  Creek— the  county  seat  of 
Dawson  county.  It  contains  a population 
of  about  500,  has  a fine,  brick  court-house, 
two  churches,  a school-house,  several  ho- 
tels, four  stores,  a bridge  across  the  Platte, 
t > the  south,  and  a weekly  newspaper— the 
Pioneer.  The  town  was  named  after  an 
old  {‘tage  station  and  military  camp,  situ- 
ated on  the  south  side  of  the  river,  on  Plum 
Cre*  k,  a small  stream  which  heads  in  very 
rugged  bluffs  southwest  of  the  old  station, 
and  empties  its  waters  into  the  Platte — 
opposite  Plum  Creek  station  on  the  rail- 
road. 

This  old  station  was  the  nearest  point  on 
the  “ old  emigrant  road  ” to  the  Republi- 
can River,  the  heart  of  the  great  Indian 
rendezvous,  and  their  supposed  secure 
stronghold,  being  but  about  18  miles  away. 
Around  the  old  Plum  Creek  station  many 
of  the  most  fearful  massacres  which  oc- 
curred during  the  earliest  emigration  were 
perpetrated  by  the  Sioux,  Cheyenne,  and 
Arapahoe  Indians.  The  bluffs  here  come 
very  close  to  the  river,  affording  the  savages 
an  excellent  opportunity  for  surprising  a 
train,  and,  being  very  abrupt  and  cut  up 
with  gulches  and  canyons,  affording  them 
hiding-places,  from  which  they  swooped 
down  upon  the  luckless  emigrant,  often 
massacrmg  the  larger  portion  of  the 
party. 

Returning  to  the  railroad,  7 8-10  miles 
brings  us  to 

Coyote — an  unimportant  station. 

Here  the  bottoms  are  very  wide,  having 
increased  in  width  for  many  miles. 

(n  early  days,  all  along  the  river,  for  a 
distance  of  50  miles,  the  islands  and  low- 
lands were  covered  with  cottonwood  tim- 
ber, but  since  the  completion  of  the  rail- 
road, the  principal  portion  has  been  con- 
sumed for  use  by  the  settlers.  Where,  in 
1860,  were  huge  cottonwoods,  now  are 
wheat-fields,  or  young  cottonwoods  and 
willows.  We  are  now  in  a section  of 
country  where  la’  ge  quantities  of  hay  are 
put  up  annually  for  shipment, 

Passing  on  6 miles,  we  reach 
Cozad — About  one-fourth  mile  be- 
fore reaching  this  station,  on  the  right,  we 


cross  the  100th  meridian,  marked  by  a sign, 
which  reads,  in  large  letters  ‘‘  100th  Me- 
ridian.” 

This  place  was  named  by  a gentleman 
from  the  East,  who  purchased  40,000  acres 
of  land  from  the  railroad  company  here, 
and  laid  out  a town.  It  has  not  been  a 
“ huge  success  ” as  a speculation,  so  far, 
but  by  a thorough  system  of  irrigation 
could  be  made  very  produciive.  There  are 
a few  good  buildings  at  and  near  the  sta- 
tion, and  some  herds  of  cattle  and  shet  p 
range  near  by;  in  fact,  this  section  of  coun- 
try is  more  adapted  to  stock-raising  than 
it  is  for  agricultural  purposes. 

The  high  bluffs  to  the  south  and  west — 
our  road  here  runs  nearly  north — looming 
up  in  the  distance,  are  on  the  south  side 
of  the  Platte  River,  25  miles  distant. 

From  Cozad,  it  is  five  miles  to 

Willow  Island— population  100 — 
named  from  an  island  in  the  Platte  River, 
near  by,  the  second  in  size  in  that  river. 
For  some  distance  before  reaching  this 
station,  large  herds  of  cattle  and  sheep  can 
be  seen,  particularly  on  the  opposite  side 
of  the  river,  where  can  also  be  seen  some 
of  the  old  adobe  ranches  of  the  days  when 
the  “ overland  stage  ” was  the  fastest 
method  of  crossing  these  plains. 

We  are  now  beyond  the  agricultural  sec- 
tion, and  are  entering  the  great  grazing  re- 
gion of  the  West. 

For  some  years  after  the  completion  of 
the  rohd  the  traveler  could  see,  near  this 
place,  and  in  fact  for  many  miles  beyond 
North  Platte,  some  of  the  old  log  houses  of 
the  early  settlers,  with  their  sides  p erced 
with  ioop-holes  and  walled  up  with  turf, 
the  roofs  being  covered  with  the  same  ma- 
terial, which  reminds  one  of  the  savage 
against  whom  these  precautions  were 
taken.  In  fact,  from  here  up  the  river,  the 
traveler  will  doubtless  observe  many  of 
the  rude  forts  along  the  roadside  as  well  as 
at  the  stations.  The  deserted  ranches  to  be 
met  with  along  the  “ old  emigrant  road,” 
on  the  south  side  of  the  river,  are  fortified 
in  the  same  manner.  The  fort  was  gener- 
ally built  of  logs,  covered  on  top  and 
walled  on  the  side  in  the  manner  described. 
They  are  pierced  with  loop-holes  on  all 
sides,  and  afforded  a safe  protection  against 
the  Indians.  They  generally  stood  about 
fifty  yards  from  the  dwelling,  from  which 
an  underground  passage  led  to  the  fort. 
When  attacked,  the  settlers  would  retreat 
to  their  fortification  where  they  would 
fight  it  out;  and  until  the  Indians  got  “ed- 


AND  PACIFIC  COAST  GUIDE. 


McPherson— IS  a military  station, 
five  miles  from  the  Platte  River,  and  seven 
miles  from  old  “ Cottonwood  Springs  ” on 
the  opposite  side  of  the  river,  with  which 
it  is  connected  by  a bridge,  a great  im- 
provement on  the  old  ford. 

The  country  round  about  is  well  watered, 
and  some  timber  on  the  bottoms  can  be 
obtained  for  all  necessary  purposes.  A 
large  amount  of  fine  meadow  land  adjoins 
the  station,  from  which  are  cut  thousands 
of  tons  of  hay  that  are  either  sold  to  the 
Government  at  the  fort  or  shipped  up  or 
down  the  road. 

Fort  McPherson — is  situated  on  the 
south  side  of  the  Platte  River,  near  Cot- 
tonwood Springs.  The  post  was  estab- 
lished Feb.  20,  1866,  by  Major  S.  W. 
O’Brien,  of  the  7tii  Iowa  Cavalry.  It  was 
originally  known  as  “ Cantonment  Mc- 
Keon,”  and  also  as  “ Cottonwood  Springs.” 
At  the  close  of  the  war,  when  the  regular 
army  gradually  took  the  place  of  the  vol- 


: ucated,”  many  a “ red  brother  ” would  get 
a shot — to  him  unawares — which  would 
i send  him  to  his  “ Happy  Hunting-ground.” 

As  we  pass  along  to  the  next  station,  10 
^ 3-10  miles,  the  passenger  will  note  that  our 
, direction  is  nearly  north,  wdth  the  bottom 
^ lands  getting  narrower  as  we  proceed. 

l^arren — This  is  simply  a side-track, 
where  trains  seldom  stop.  The  grass  here 
I is  short  and  thick  on  the  upland,  and 
! coarse  and  tall  on  the  bottoms. 

Sand-hills  close  in  on  the  right,  and  the 
: river  on  our  left,  as  we  proceed  eight  miles 
i further  to 

Mrady  Island — This  station  derives 
i its  name  from  an  island  in  the  Platte 
: River,  which  is  of  considerable  size.  In 
j early  times  many  wandering  bands  of  In- 
; dians  were  wont  to  pass  through  this  part 
j of  the  valley,  as  this  is  one  of  their  fa- 
- vorite  crossings. 

: From  this  station  to  the  next,  it  is  9 1-10 

miles. 


DALB  CREEK  BRIDGE,  NEAR  SHERMAN,  ON  THE  BLACK  HILLS  OF  WYOMING. 

3 


50 


crofutt’s  new  overland  tourist 


unteers  who  had  been  stationed  on  the 
frontier  during  the  rebellion,  the  names  of 
many  of  the  forts  were  changed,  and  they 
were  re-named  in  memory  of  those  gal- 
I lant  officers  who  gave  their  lives  in  de- 
fense of  their  country.  Fort  McPherson 
was  named  after  Major-General  James  B. 
McPherson,  who  was  killed  in  the  battle 
before  Atlanta,  Georgia,  July,  22d,  1864. 
Supplies  are  received  via  McPherson  Sta- 
tion. Located  in  latitude  41  deg.,  longi- 
tude 100  deg.  30  min. 

The  next  station  is  7 7-10  miles  further, 
named 

€raiiiiett — a side-track — nearly  five 
miles  from  where  the  trains  cross  the  long 
trestle  bridge  over  the 

North  Platte  River — This  river  rises 
in  the  mountains  of  Colorado,  in  the  North 
Park.  Its  course  is  to  the  northeast  from 
its  source  for  several  hundred  miles,  when 
it  bends  around  to  the  southeast.  We  shall 
cross  it  again  at  Fort  Steele,  402  miles  fur- 
: ther  west.  The  general  characteristics  of 
I the  stream  are  similar  to  those  of  the 
i South  Platte. 

For  100  miles  up  this  river  the  “ bottom 
lands  ” are  from  10  to  15  miles  wide,  very 
rich,  and  susceptible  of  cultivation,  though 
perhaps  requiring  irrigation.  Game  in 
abundance  is  found  in  this  valley,  and 
bands  of  wild  horses  at  one  time  were 
numerous. 

Fort  Laramie  is  about  150  miles  from 
the  junction — near  where  the  Laramie 
River  unites  with  this  stream. 

On  the  west  bank  of  the  river,  80  miles 
north,  is  Ash  Hollow,  rendered  famous  by 
General  Harney,  who  gained  a decisive 
victory  over  the  Sioux  Indians  here,  many 
years  ago. 

About  one  mile  beyond  the  bridge  and 
i 5 8-10  miles  is  situated 

Xorth  Platte  City — the  county 
; seat  of  Lincoln  county,  and  one  of  the 
best  locations  for  a large  town  on  the  whole 
line  of  the  Union  Pacific  road.  Elevation, 
2,789  feet.  Distance  from  Omaha,  291 
miles. 

Here  is  the  end  of  the  Eastern  Division, 
and  the  commencement  of  the  Mountain 
Division — For  altitude  of  each  station  see 
i time  table  at  the  beginning  of  each 
division. 

The  road  was  finished  to  this  place,  No- 
vember, 1866.  Here  the  company  have  a 
round-house  of  20  stalls,  a blacksmith  and 
repair  shop,  all  of  stone.  In  these  shops 


are  employed — ^regularly— 76  men,  besides 
those  engaged  in  the  offices  and  yard.  The 
Railroad  House  is  the  principal  hotel. 

North  Platte  has  improved  very  rapidly 
during  the  last  three  years,  and  contains 
about  2,000  population.  Churches,  hotels, 
country  buildings,  and  scores  of  dwellings 
have  been  built,  or  are  in  course  of  erection. 
A new  bridge  has  been  completed  across 
the  South  Platte  River.  Two  weekly 
newspapers  are  published  here,  the  Repub- 
lican and  the  Nebraskan.  Settlers’  houses, 
and  tens  of  thousands  of  cattle,  sheep  and 
horses  are  to  be  seen  in  every  direction. 
The  advantages  of  this  place,  as  a stock 
range  and  shipping  point,  exceed  all 
others  on  the  line  of  road. 

Messrs.  Keith,  Barton,  and  Dillon,  citi- 
zens of  North  Platte  City,  have  a herd  of 
15,000  head  of  cattle — on  the  North  Platte 
above  the  City — and  there  are  many  other 
parties  living*  at  or  near  this  city,  who  own 
herds  of  from  500  to  5,000  head.  In  this 
country  a man  that  only  owns  500  head,  is 
counted  a “poor  shoat  ” — one  to  be  pitied. 

North  Platte,  in  its  palmiest  days, 
boasted  a population  of  over  2,000,  which 
was  reduced  in  a few  months  after  the  road 
extended,  to  as  many  hundreds.  Until  the 
road  was  finished  to  J ulesburg,  which  was 
accomplished  in  June,  1867,  all  freight  for 
the  West  was  shipped  from  this  point ; then 
the  town  was  in  the  height  of  its  pros- 
perity ; then  the  gamblers,  the  roughs  and 
scallawags,  who  afterward  rendered  the 
road  accursed  by  their  presence,  lived  in 
clover — for  there  were  hard-working,  fool- 
ish men  enough  in  the  town  to  afford 
them  an  easy  living.  When  the  town  be- 
gan to  decline,  these  leaches  followed  up 
the  road,  cursing  with  their  upas  blight 
every  camp  and  town,  until  an  enraged  and 
long-suffering  community  arose  in  their 
own  defense,  binding  themselves  together, 
a ^ la  mgilantes.,  and,  for  want  of  a legal 
tribunal,  took  the  law  into  their  own 
hands,  and  hung  them  to  the  first  projec- 
tion high  and  strong  enough  to  sustain 
their  worthless  carcasses.  But  many 
“moved  on,”  and  we  shall  hear  of  them 
again  many  times  before  we  are  through. 

Colorado  was  first  visited  by  white  men — Spani' 
ards — in  1540.  Explored  by  Z.  M.  Pike,  who  gave 
his  name  to  Pike’s  Peak,  in  1806;  by  Col.  S.  H. 
Long  in  1820,  who  named  Long’s  Peak  ; by  Gen. 
Fremont  in  1843;  by  Gov.  William  Gilpin  in  1840, 
who  has  traversed  the  country  more  or  less  until  i 
the  present  time. 


AND  PACIFIC  COAST  GUIDE. 


51 


TZlsdlE  T-A_BXjE 

MOUNTAIN  DITISION. 

NORTH  PLATTE  TO  LARAMIE. 


W.  P.  Davis,  Division  Superintendent. 


WEST  FROM  OMAHA. 

OMAHA  TIME. 

EAST  FROM  CALIFORNIA. 

Daily 

Emigrant. 

Daily 
Express 
1st  & 2d  cPs 

Distance 

from 

Omaha 

STATIONS. 

Elevati’n 

Daily 
Express 
1st  & 2d  cl’s 

Daily 

Emigrant. 

6:40  pm 
7:10 

7:50 

8:25 

2:10  am 

..291 

Lv KOKTH  PLATTE Ar 

...,2789.. 

2:10  am 

6:10  pm 

2:25 

2:50 

3:10 

3:30 

3 55 

4 20 

4:47 

5:15 

9,Q9 

Nichols 

....2882.. 

1:37 

5:30 

SOS 

^O’Fallon’s 

....2976.. 

1:15 

4:55 

SI  .Pi 

Dexter 

.. ..3000.. 

12:55 

4:20 

S92 

^Alkali 

...  3038.. 

12:35 

3:45 

9:40 

10:25 

11:15 

12:05  a m 

332 

Roscoe 

....3105.. 

12 :08  a m 

2:50 

S42 

*Ogalalla 

...  3190.. 

11:43 

2:00  t 

S.Pil 

Brule 

11:15 

1:10 

'..361.. 

...  3325.. 

10:48 

12:20  pm 

12 :45 

1:25 

2:20 

3:10 

4:05 

5:30  t 

6:15 

7:00 

7:45 

8:30 

5 :35 

6:00 

6:28 

6:55 

7:25 

8:10  t 

8:35 

9:03 

9:30 

9.57 

369 

Barton 

....  3421 . . 

10:28 

11:40 

" 377 

*Jule8burg 

....3500.. 

10:03 

11:00 

387 

ChappelT. 

....3702.. 

9:35 

10:05 

* S9r 

. . . ♦Lodo'e  Pole 

....3800.. 

9:10 

9:20 

407 

Colton 

. ...4022.. 

8:45 

8:30 

* 414 

. 4073 . . 

8 :25  t 

7:ro  t 

42S 

Erownson 

....4200.. 

7:40 

6:15 

433  . . 

*Potter 

....4370.. 

7:15 

5:25 

‘ 442 

Bennett 

....4580.. 

6:50 

4:40 

!.451 

...4712.. 

6:25 

3:50 

9:00 

9:30 

10:30 

11:00 

11:35 

12:10  pm 
12:50 

1:30 

9*in 

10:13 

10:30 

11:00 

11:17 

11:35 

11:55 

12:15  p m 
12:37 

12:55 

1:40  t 

2:00 

2:30 

2:50 

3:20 

3:50 

4:15 

4:30 

4:45 

5:10 

1 5:00  p m 

457  . . . 

Adams  , 

....4784.. 

6:10 

3 : 15 

46S 

Bushnell 

...  4860.. 

5:55 

2;  45 

..473 

479 

..  . *Pine  Blufis,  W.  T.. 

....5026.. 

5:30 

1:45 

Tracy 

....5149.. 

5 15 

1 :15 

”484 

Egbert 

...5272.. 

5:00 

12:45 

490 

.Burns 

....^28.. 

4 '45 

12:15  am 

”496 

^Hillsdale 

....  5591 . . 

4:30 

11:45 

.Pi02 

Atkins 

....5800.. 

4:15 

11 :10 

*508 

*Archer 

..  .6000.. 

4:00 

10  40 

/w « iU 

3:45  t 

MR 

*CHEYENNE 

....  6041 . . 

3:35  t 

9:50  t 

522 

...  6325.. 

2:55 

8:30 

4:20 

5:10 

5:40 

6:30 

7:30 

8:10 

8:35 

9:05 

.^S1 

Otto 

-...6724.. 

2:30 

7:40 

536...  . 

*Granite  Canon 

....7298.. 

■2:10 

7:10 

.Pi43 

*Buford 

....7780.. 

1:45 

6:30 

.549 

*Sherman 

....8242.. 

1:25 

5:50 

.5.55 

Tie  Siding 

....7985.. 

1:05 

4:55 

.5.58 

Harney 

....7857.. 

12:50 

4:30 

. 564 

*Red  Buttes 

....7336.. 

12:35 

4:00 

570  

*Fort  Sanders 

....7163.. 

12:10  pm 

3:15 

10:15  p m 

..573 

Av *LARAMIE Lv 

....7123.. 

12:00  m 

3:00 

t Meals.  * Telegraph. 

The  attention  of  passengers  is  directed  to  the  elevation  of  each  station. 


Just  after  leaving  the  city  for  the  West, 
on  the  south  side  of  the  road  will  he  seen 
a Government  camp,  where  soldiers  are 
stationed  to  guard  the  bridge,  the  city,  and 
the  situation  generally,  when  necessary. 

From  North  Platte  our  route  is  due 
west.  It  is  8 4-10  miles  to 

Ilficliols — an  unimportant  side-track. 
North  Platte  City  is  in  plain  sight  from 
the  station — as  is  also  the  North  and  South 
Platte  Rivers— and  the  Valleys  of  the  same. 


From  Nichols  it  is  8 5-10  miles  to 
O’Fallon’s  Blufts  — situated  in 
the  sand  hills,  where  the  bluffs  on  the 
right  come  close  to  the  river.  On  the 
south  side  of  the  river  are  the  famous 
O’Fallon’s  Bluffs,  a series  of  sand  hills  in- 
terspersed with  ravines  and  gulches,  which 
come  close  to  the  river’s  bank,  forming  ab- 
rupt bluffs,  which  turned  the  emigrants 
back  from  the  river,  forcing  them  to  cross 
these  sand  hills,  a distance  of  eight  miles, 


ckofutt’s  new  oveklane  toueist 


52 


through  loose  yielding  sand,  devoid  of 
vegetation.  Here,  as  well  as  at  all  points 
where  the  blufts  come  near  the  river,  the 
emigrants  used  to  suffer  severely,  at  times, 
from  the  attacks  of  the  Indians.  Opposite, 
and  extending  above  this  point,  is  a large 
island  in  the  river,  once  a noted  camping 
ground  of  the  Indians.  O’Fallon’s  Blufls 
are  the  first  of  a series  of  sand  hills,  which 
extend  north  and  south  for  several  hun- 
dred miles.  At  this  point,  the  valley  is 
much  narrower  than  that  through  which 
we  have  passed.  Here  we  first  enter  the 
“ alkali  belt,”  which  extends  from  this 
point  to  Julesburg — about  70  miles.  The 
soil  and  water  are  strongly  impregnated 
with  alkaline  substances. 

rhe  country  on  both  sides  of  the  river  is 
occupied  exclusively  for  gi'azing  purposes. 
At  certain  seasons  ot  the  year,  passengers 
should  keep  their  “ eye  peeled  ” for  buffa- 
lo, as  we  are  now  getting  into  the  buffalo 
range.  During  the  winter  of  1878-4  im- 
mense numbers  roamed  over  this  country, 
along  the  road  for  100  miles  westward,  but 
few,  if  any,  have  been  seen  since  that  time. 

Passing  along  up  the  narrow  bottom,  with 
the  bluffs  close  on  our  right,  7 8-10  miles 
brings  us  to  a side-track,  called 
l>exter — Trains  seldom  stop  here,  and 
7 2-10  miles  further  we  reach 
Alkali  — on  an  alkaline  bottom.  This 
station  is  directly  opposite  the  old 
stage  station  of  that  name  on  the  south  side 
of  the  river.  After  leaving  the  station  the 
road  passes  through  the  sand-bluffs,  which 
here  run  c.ose  to  the  river’s  bank.  A 
series  of  cuts  and  fills,  extending  for  sev- 
eral miles,  brings  us  to  the  bottom  land 
again.  From  Alkali,  it  is  9 6-10  miles  to 
.BoiSCO — another  side-track  station. 
Passing  along  over  a narrow  bottom, 
with  sand  bluff  cuttings,  at  intervals,  9 
6-10  miles,  we  come  to 
Og;aiaila — the  county  seat  of  Keith 
county. 

The  settlers  here  are  all  more  or  less  en- 
I gaged  in  stock-raising.  It  is  the  river- 
i crossing  for  large  droves  of  cattle  en  route 
i for  the  Indian  reservation,  Fort  Laramie 
I and  the  Black  Hills  country,  to  the  north- 
ward. N ear  this  station,  several  years  ago, 
at  a point  where  the  road  makes  a short 
curve  and  crosses  the  mouth  of  a ravine, 

On  the  plains,  bacon  is  called  “■sow-belly,”  In- 
dian tents,  “wigwams,”  lodges,  “tepees,”  “wick- 
eeups.” 

Teamsters  on  the  plains  call  a meal  a “grub- 
pile.” 


the  Indians  attempted  to  wreck  a passen- 
ger train,  by  suddenly  massing  their  ponies 
on  the  track  ahead  of  the  locomotive.  The 
result  was,  some  score  or  more  of  the  ponies 
were  killed,  without  damaging  the  train, 
while  the  men  used  their  “navies”  and 
guns  pretty  freely  on  the  Indians,  who 
were  apparently  greatly  mrpmec?,  and  who 
now  call  the  locomotive  “ Smoke  wagon 
— big  chief  ! Ugh  ! ! no  good  ! ” 

Another  9 6-10  miles  and  we  reach 

Brule — It  is  near  the  old  California 
Crossing,  where  the  emigrants  crossed 
when  striking  for  the  North  Platte  and 
Fort  Laramie,  to  take  the  South  Pass 
route. 

On  the  south  side  of  the  river,  opposite 
in  plain  view,  is  the  old  ranche  and  trading 
post  of  the  noted  Indian  trader  and  Peace 
Commissioner — Beauve — now  deserted. 

Passing  along  over  cuts  and  fills,  9 7-10 
miles,  we  reach 

Big  l^pringis — The  station  derives 
its  name  from  a large  spring — the  first 
found  on  the  road — which  makes  out  of 
the  bluffs,  opposite  the  station,  on  the 
right  hand  side  of  the  road,  and  in  plain 
view  from  the  cars.  The  water  is  excel- 
lent, and  will  be  found  the  best  along  this 
road. 

It  was  at  this  station  where  the  “Big 
Spring’s  robbery”  took  place.  Sept.  18th 
1877.  A party  of  twelve  masked  men  took 
possession  of  the  station,  bound  and  gagged 
the  men,  cut  the  telegraph  wires,  and 
when  the  western  train  arrived,  took  pos- 
session of  it  with  guns  and  revolvers,  in 
the  name  of  “ hands  up.”  The  robbers  se- 
cured $65,000  from  the  express  car,  $1,800 
and  four  gold  watches  from  passengers, 
then  mounted  their  horses,  that  had  been 
hitched  near  by,  and  allowed  the  train  to 
proceed.  No  person  was  killed  or  injured, 
but  all  experienced  much  difficulty  for  days, 
in  getting  their  hair  to  lay  down;  and,  it  is 
said,  among  the  railroad  men,  that  even 
now  a sudden  shout  “ hands  up,”  in  the 
hearing  of  that  express  messenger,  will 
send  his  hat  up  three  feet  from  his  head, 
and  his  face  and  head  will  resemble  the 
“ All  Seeing  Eye  ” in  the  Mormon  sign  of 
“ Holiness  to  the  Lord,”  on  another  page. 
Immediately  after  the  robbery,  a reward  of 

Ox  drivers  on  the  plains  are  called  “bull-whack- 
ers;” mule  drivers,  “mule  skinners.” 

All  persons,  in  the  Territories,  of  mixed  blood, 
are  called  “Greasers;”  “Peons”  are  Mexican 
slaves. 


AND  PACIFIC  COAST  GUIDE. 


53 


$10,000  was  offered  for  the  arrest  of  the 
) perpetrators,  and  three  have  been  caught 
i and  have  paid  the  penalty  of  the  crime  with 
their  lives.  About  one-half  of  the  money 
has  been  recovered. 

After  leaving  this  station,  we  pass  by  a 
series  of -cuts  and  fills,  and  another  range 
of  bluffs,  cut  up  by  narrow  ravines  and 
gorges.  At  points,  the  roads  run  so  near 
! the  river  bank,  that  the  water  seems  to  be 
right  under  the  cars.  But  we  emerge 
again,  after  7 8-10  miles,  and  come  to 

JSarton — a small  signal  station  of  very 
little  importance.  Passing  on  a short  dis- 
tance we  can  see  the  old  town  of  J ulesburg, 
on  the  south  side  of  the  river.  The  town 
was  named  after  Jules  Burg,  who  was 
brutally  assassinated,  as  will  be  related  in 
Annex  No.  10. 

■ From  Barton,  it  is  8 7-10  miles  to  the 
station  of 

Julesburg^Elevation  3,394  feet ; dis- 
tance from  Omaha,  377  miles.  Until  1868, 
this  was  an  important  military,  freight 
and  passenger  station,  since  when  it  de- 
clined to  a simple  way  station. 

In  1873-4,  a railroad  bed  was  graded  up 
the  north  side  of  the  Platte,  in  the  interest 
of  the  Union  Pacific  Co.,  but  for  some 
reason  the  ties  and  iron  have  never  been 
laid,  and  now  that  the  Union  is  enabled  to 
reach  the  Colorado  business  by  the  new 
Colorado  Central,  via  Hazard,  it  is  hardly 
likely  that  this  line  will  ever  be  completed. 
The  Union  Pacific  was  completed  to  this 
place  the  last  of  June,  1867,  and  all  Govern- 
ment freight  for  the  season  was  shipped  to 
this  point,  to  be  re-shipped  on  wagons  for 
its  destination  to  the  north  and  west. 

At  that  time  Julesburg  had  a population 
of  4,000 ; now  the  town  is  almost  deserted. 
During  the  “ lively  times,”  Julesburg  was 
the  roughest  of  all  towns  along  the  Union 
Pacific  line.  The  roughs  congregated 
there,  and  a day  seldom  passed  but  what 
they  “ had  a man  for  breakfast.”  Gam- 
bling and  dance  houses  constituted  a good 
portion  of  the  town ; and  it  is  said  that 
morality  and  honesty  clasped  hands  and 
departed  from  the  place.  We  have  not 
learned  whether  they  have  returned ; and 
" really  we  have  our  doubts  about  their  ever 
having  been  there. 

Before  the  railroad,  the  last  of  Utah 
and  California  emigration  that  came 
up  the  Platte  crossed  opposite  the  station, 
and  followed  up  this  V alley  to  the  Chey- 
enne Pass. 

From  Julesburg  to  Denver,  Colorado,  the 


To  be  well  armed  and  ready  for  a fight  is  ‘‘to  be 
heded.” 

The  Indians  on  the  plains  call  the  locomotives 
and  cars  “bad  medicine  wagons.” 


54 


crofutt’s  nfw  overland  tourist 


distance  is  200  miles,  following  the  course 
of  the  Platte  Kiver.  During  the  winter  of 
’05  and  ’66,  most  of  the  wood  used  at  Jules- 
hurg  and  Fort  Sedgwick,  w^as  hauled  on 
wagons  from  Denver,  at  an  expense  of 
from  $60  to  $75  per  cord,  for  transportation 
alone,  and  was  sold  to  Government,  hy 
contract,  at  $105  per  cord.  The  wood  cost 
in  Denver  about  $20.  Besides  this,  the 
contractors  were  allowed  by  Government 
to  put  in  what  hard  wood  they  could  get 
at  double  the  price,  or  $210  per  cord,  which 
by  many  was  thought  to  be  a “ pretty  soft 
snap.”  The  “hard  wood”  was  obtained 
in  the  scrub-oak  bluffs  of  Colorado,  fifty 
miles  south  of  Denver  City,  and  cost  no 
more  for  transportation  than  did  the  pine. 
John  Hughes,  of  Denver,  was  the  con- 
tractor— a more  successful  and  enterprising 
one  it  would  be  hard  to  find  in  Colorado 
or  elsewhere. 

About  the  only  business  now  done  at 
Julesburg,  is  connected  with  stock-raising. 
The  shipments  of  cattle  are  very  heavy  du- 
ring the  shipping  season;  sometimes  100 
cars  a week. 

Fort  Sedgwick — was  established  May 
19,  1864,  by  the  Third  United  States  Vol- 
unteers, and  named  after  Major-General 
John  Sedgwick,  Colonel  Fourth  Cavalry, 
U.  S.  A.,  who  was  killed  in  battle  at  Spott- 
sylvania  Court  House,  Virginia,  May  9th, 
1864.  It  is  located  in  the  northeast  corner 
of  Colorado  Territory,  on  the  south  side  of 
the  South  Platte  River,  four  miles  distant, 
on  the  old  emigrant  and  stage  road  to  Col- 
orado, in  plain  view  from  the  cars.  Lati- 
tude 31  deg.,  longitude  102  deg.  30  min. — 
now  abandoned. 

The  Platte  River,  west  of  North 
Platte  city,  is  called  the  South  Fork  of  the 
Platte.  We  have  ascended  it,  almost  on 
its  banks,  over  350  miles,  and  shall  now 
leave  it  and  turn  to  the  right,  the  northwest, 
and  follow  up  the  narrow  valley  of  Lodge 
Pole  Creek,  to  Egbert,  about  100  miles  dis- 
tant. The  South  Fork  of  the  Platte  rises  in 
the  Middle  Park  of  the  Rocky  Mountains 
in  Colorado.  The  valley  extends  from 
Julesburg  up  the  river  about  275  miles,  to 
where  the  river  emerges  from  the  moun- 
tains. The  average  width  of  the  valley  is 
about  three  miles,  the  soil  of  which  affords 
excellent  grazing. 

From  Julesburg  it  is  10  miles  to 

Cliappeil — a small  side-track  where 
passenger  trains  never  stop,  and  9 1-10 
miles  further  to 


XiOdg^e  Pole — another  side-track. 
This  valley  is  narrow,  but  with  the  bluffs, 
and  a great  open  prairie  country  to  the 
northeastward,  extending  to  the  North 
Platte  River,  a distance  of  30  miles,  affords 
the  finest  of  grazing  range,  and  large  herds 
of  cattle,  and  numerous  bands  of  antelope 
can  be  seen  while  passing  on  up  the 
valley.  Ten  miles  more  and  we  reach 

Colton  — which  is  another  new  station, 
ten  miles  fl'om  Lodge  Pole.  I""  was  named  in 
honor  of  Francis  Colton,  Esq.,  a former 
general  passenger  agent  of  the  road,  now 
President  of  the  Farmers  and  Mechanics’ 
Bank  of  Galesburg,  111. 

From  Colton  it  is  7 7-10  miles  to 

JSidney — named  after  the  president  of 
the  road.  This  is  a regular  eating-station, 
where  trains  stop  30  minutes,  those  from 
the  East,  for  breakfast,  from  the  West  for 
supper. 

{Sidney  is  the  county  seat  of  Cheyenne 
county,  Nebraska,  and  within  the  last  few 
years  has  improved  in  buildings,  and  in- 
creased in  population,  until  it  now  con- 
tains about  1,500  people.  The  “Lock- 
wood  ” house  is  one  of  the  largest  build- 
ings constructed,  and  where  good  fare  is 
provided ; the  cars  stop  nearly  in  front  of 
the  house. 

The  principal  outfitting  store  is  owned 
by  |Mr.  Chas.  Moore,  the  pioneer  ranch- 
man of  the  Old  South  Platte  route — as  well 
as  of  Sidney— but  “Charley”  ibAk^poor. 
Besides  his  $30,000  worth  of  goods,  and 
other  property,  he  only  has  about  8,000 
head  of  cattle  and  3,000  sheep,— and  by 
the  way,  Sidney  is  not  much  behind  in  the 
number  of  prosperous  stock-men.  There  are 
scores  of  her  citizens  who  own  500  head, 
many  5,000,  several  15,000.  With  the  great 
range  belonging  to  the  “Cattle  King,” — 
Iliff;  close  on  the  south,  on  which  graze 
48,000  head. 

The  Iliff'  Ranche  is  a huge  one.  It  is 
about  150  miles  in  length,  with  an  average 
width  of  25  miles,  commencing  near 
Julesburg,  and  extending  west  along  tbe 
Platte  River  to  Fremont’s  Orchard,  60 
miles  northeast  of  Denver. 

The  railroad  company  have  a round- 
house of  ten  stalls,  and  a machine  shop  lo- 
cated here,  besides  an  extpsive  freight 
ware-house,  and  depot  building. 

The  Black  Hills  business  is  one  of  great 
importance,  a stage  line  daily  taking  pas- 
sengers through  to  Dead  wood,  267  miles, 
for  $50  in  winter  and  less  in  the  summer. 
Freight  in  large  quantities  is  shipped  from 


AXD  PACIFIC  COAST  GUIDE. 


55 


here,  on  wagons.  It  is  claimed  that  this 
route  is  the  shortest  to  the  “ Hills.”  The 
new  bridge  over  the  North  Platte,  is  one 
great  feature  of  the  route. 

For  fare,  see  Annex  No.  50. 


There  is  one  newspaper  published  here, 
the  Telegraph,  weekly,  by  J.  B.  Gossage  & 

I Co.,  who  also  have  recently  established  a 
weekly  at  Rapid  City,  in  the  Black  Hills, 
called  the  Black  Hills  J ournal. 

The  Government  has  established  a mili- 
. tary  post  at  this  station,  and  erected  exten- 
sive barracks  and  warehouses.  The  post 
is  on  the  south  side  of  the  track,  a little  to 
the  east  of  the  station.  The  old  “PostTrader” 
at  this  place,  Mr.  James  A.  Moore,  recently 
deceased,  was  an  old  pioneer,  and  the  hero 
; of  the  “Pony  Express.”  June  8th,  1860, 
he  made  the  most  remarkable  ride  on 
record.  Mr.  Moore  was  at  Midway  stage 
station  on  the  south  side  of  the  Platte,  when 
a very  important  Government  despatch  ar- 


rived for  the  Pacific  Coast.  Mounting  his 
pony,  he  left  for  Julesburg,  1^0  miles  dis- 
tant,  where,  on  arriving,  he  met  an  impor- 
tant despatch  from  the  Pacific;  resting 
only  seven  minutes,  and,  without  eating,  re- 
turned to  Midway,  making  the  “ round 
trip  ”_280  miles — in  fourteen  hours  and 
forty-six  minutes.  The  despatch  reached 
Sacramento  from  St.  Joseph,  Mo.,  in  eight 
days,  nine  hours  and  forty  minutes. 

From  Sidney  it  is  9 miles  to 
Brownson— Passenger  trains  do  not 
stop  The  station  was  named  alter  Col. 
Brownson,  who  was  with  the  Union  Pacific 
from  the  first,  and  a long  time  their  gen- 
eral ft-eight  agent.  The  valley  along  here 
is  very  narrow,  with  high  rocky  biufls  on 
each  side.  It  is  9 9-10  miles  further  to 
Potter — Large  quantities  of  wood  and 
ties  are  usually  stored  here,  which  are  ob- 
tained about  20  miles  north  of  this  point, 
on  Lawrence  Fork  and  Spring  Canyon, 
tributaries  of  the  North  Platte  River.  Pot- 
ter, although  not  a large  place,  is  situated 


FINGER  ROCK,  WEBER  CANYON,  UTAH- 


56 


crofutt’s  new  overland  tourist 


near  a very  large  city,  called 

Prairie  Dog  City — one  of  the  larg- 
efet  cities  on  the  whole  line  of  the  road. 
At  this  point,  and  for  several  miles  up 
and  down  the  valley,  the  dwellings  of  the 
prairie  dogs  frequently  occur,  but  three 
miles  west  of  the  :^tation  they  are  found  in 
large  numbers,  and  there  the  great  prairie 
dog  city  is  situated.  It  occupies  several 
hundred  acres  on  each  side  of  the  road, 
where  these  sagacious  little  animals  have 
taken  land  and  established  their  dwellings 
without  buying  lots  of  the  company.  (We 
do  not  know  whether  Mr.  Landcommis- 
sioner,  intends  to  eject  them  or  not,)  Their 
dwellings  consist  of  a little  mound,  with  a 
hole  in  the  top,  from  a foot  to  a foot  and  a 
half  high,  raised  by  the  dirt  excavated  from 
their  burrows.  On  the  approach  of  a 
train,  these  animals  can  be  seen  scamper- 
ing for  their  houses;  arrived  there,  they 
squat  on  their  hams  or  stand  on  their  hind 
feet,  barking  at  the  train  as  it  passes. 
Should  any  one  venture  too  near,  down  they 
go  into  their  holes,  and  the  city  is  silent  as 
the  city  of  the  dead . 

It  is  said  that  the  opening  in  the  top 
leads  to  a subterranean  chamber,  connect- 
ing with  the  next  dwelling,  and  so  on 
through  the  settlement ; but  this  is  a mis- 
take, as  in  most  cases  a few  buckets  of 
water  will  drown  out  any  one  of  them. 
The  animal  is  of  a sandy-brown  color,  and 
about  the  size  of  a large  gray  squirrel.  In 
their  nest,  living  with  the  dog,  may  be  found 
the  owl  and  rattlesnake,  though  whether 
they  are  welcome  visitors  is  quite  uncertain. 
The  prairie  dog  lives  on  grasses  and  roots, 
and  is  generally  fat ; and  by  many,  espe- 
cially the  Mexicans,  considered  good  eating, 
the  meat  being  sweet  and  tender,  but  rather 
greasy,  unless  thoroughly  parboiled. 
Wolves  prey  on  the  little  fellows,  and  they 
may  often  be  seen  sneaking  and  crawling 
near  a town,  where  they  may^  by  chance, 
pick  up  an  unwary  straggler.  But  the 
dogs  are  not  easily  caught,  for  some  one  is 
alwaj^s  looking  out  for  danger,  and  on  the 
first  intimation  of  trouble,  the  alarm  is 
given,  and  away  they  all  scamper  for  their 
holes. 

Court-House  Bock— About  40  miles 
due  north  from  this  station  is  the  noted 
Court-House  Kock,  on  the  North  Platte 
River.  It  is  plainly  visible  for  50  miles  up 
and  down  that  stream.  It  has  the  appear- 
ance of  a tremendous  capitol  building, 
seated  on  the  apex  of  a pyramid.  From 
the  base  of  the  spur  of  the  blutis  on  which 


the  white  Court-House  Rock  is  seated,  to 
the  top  of  the  rock,  must  be  nearly  2,000 
feet.  Court-House  Rock  to  its  top  is  about 
200  feet.  Old  California  emigrants  will  re- 
member the  place  and  the  many  names, 
carved  by  ambitious  climbers,  in  the  soft 
sand-stone  of  which  it  is  composed. 

Chimney  Rock — is  about  25  miles  up 
the  river  from  Court-House  Rock.  It  is 
about  500  feet  high  and  has  the  appear- 
ance of  a tremendous,  cone-shaped  sand- 
stone column,  rising  directly  from  the 
plain.  The  elements  have  worn  away  th( 
blufis,  leaving  this  harder  portion  standing 

The  next  station  is  nine  miles  distant 
called 

1$  e n n e 1 1— named,  possibly,  afte: 

J ames  Gordon  Bennett,  of  the  New  Tori 
Herald,  but  more  likely  after  the  agent  o 
the  Palace  Car  Co.,  on  the  Union  Pacifii 
road ; but  neither  are  greatly  honored,  a 
passenger  trains  never  stop,  but  roll  on  J 
2-10  miles  further  where  they  do  stop,  at 

Anteiope — It  is  situated  at  the  lowe 
end  of  the  Pine  Blufis,  which  at  this  point 
is  near  the  station,  on  the  left. 

This  station  is  in  the  center  of  what  th 
plains-men  call  “ the  best  grass  country  in  , 
the  world,”  as  well  as  one  of  the  best  points  | 
for  antelope  on  the  route.  For  article  o/ 
stock-raising,  see  Annex  No.  29. 

Six  miles  further  and  we  come  to 

AdaniH — an  unimportant  side-track 
from  which  it  is  5 9-10  miles  to 

— This  is  another  unimpo. 
tant  side-track,  near  the  boundary  line  b 
tween  Nebraska  and  Wyoming  Territory 
Passenger  trains  do  not  stop,  but  pass  6 
ten  miles  further  to 

Pine  Blnfts— where  cattle-shippin 
is  the  principal  business  transacted  at  th 
station. 

During  the  building  of  the  road,  this 
place  was  known  as  “ Rock  Ranche  ” — ar 
a tough  ranche  it  was.  Considerable  pitc 
pine  wood  was  cut  for  the  railroad  in  tin 
blufis,  a few  miles  to  the  southward,  fron 
which  the  station  derives  its  name.  The 
bluffs  are  on  the  left  hand  ^de  of  the  road, 
and  at  this  point  are  quite  high  and  rocky, 
extending  very  near  the  track. 

Fort  Morgan — was  established  in  May, 
1865,  abandoned  in  May.  1868,  and  its  gar- 
rison transferred  to  Laramie.  It  is 
about  60  miles  north  of  this  station,  on  the 
North  Platte  River,  at  the  western  base  of 
what  is  known  as  Scott’s  Blufis.  Latitude 
40  deg.  80  min. ; longitude  27  deg. 

Our  course  from  this  station  is  more  to 


BOGABDtrS’S  PATENT 

GLASS  BALL  TRAP. 



'Tha  ein-ontinn  of  Shooting  Clubs  and  Sportsmen  generally  is  called  to  this  Trap ; 
t^e  onlv  one  tSt  gives  practice  tov  wing  shooting,  as  it  throws  the  ball  in  a 

more  cfoselv  resembling  the  flight  of  a bird  than  any  other  trap  made. . Any 
ever  shot  a bird  on  the  wing,  and  will  practice  from  my  tiap  according  to 
T.n?nhe  cln  b^^  shoots  at,  can  go  in  the  fl  eld  and  se- 

cure a Siodbaf'Sfglme:  The  single  trap  will  throw  the  balls  ia  any  direction  or  elev^ 
tSn,Sube  option  ^f  the  puller,  as  the  screen  prevenmhe  shooter  ^^eemg  ^^^ch  W 

GAKDUs  Patent  Rough  Glass 
Balls  are  made  of  uniform 
weight  and  thickness,  and  have 
a corrugated  surface  that 
strengthens  the  ball  for  ship- 
ment to  any  part  of  the  country, 
prevents  the  glancing  of  shot, 
and  thereby  insures  the  brok- 
ing of  the  ball  when  hit.  Buy 
none  but  the  best,  and  patronize 
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time  and  money  to  introduce 
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100:  liberal  discount  to  the 
trade. 

HEADQUARTERS, 


This  Style  Trap, 


For  Balls,  Hagerty  Bros.,  10  Platt  St.,  1 

For  Traps,  Geo.  E.  Hart  & Co,,  Newark,  N.  .T. 


Y. 


Mi  CoTBi  it  Tran  Slootini,  it  AieMii 

BY  CAPT.  A.  H.  BOGARDUS. 

The  onlv  book  ever  written  by  a man  who  hunted  for  market;  full  of  interest  to 
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shooting;  a chapter  on  breeding  and  breaking  dogs,  by 
Miles  Johns'  n,of  New  Jersey ; the  official  score  of  5,^ J)  ball 
match  at  Gilmore’s  Garden,  Jan.  3,  1878.  1 400  pp., 

12mo.,  fancy  stamped,  with  steel  portrait  of  the  authw, 
and  an  engraving  of  his  four  championship  medals,  $2.00. 

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This  Style  Trap,  $6. 

jk.  wi. 

Xll- 


Address, 


CLEAR  CREEK  CANYON,  COLORADO.  (See  Annex  No.  I2.) 


MEDICAL  COLLEGE  AND  HOSPITAL, 

OP  OHIOAGO. 

(Chartered  by  the  State  of  Illinois  in  1855.) 

The  Great  Homoeopathic  Clinical  School  of  the  W orld* 


The  Winter  Session  commences  the  first  Tuesday  in  October,  and 
closes  the  last  Thursday  in  February.  Clinical  facilities 
unsurpassed.  Material  for  dissection  abundant. 

Large,  well  lighted  and  comfortable  rooms. 


A.  E.  SMALL,  M.  D., 

Professor"  of  the  Tlieor^y  and  Practice  of  Medicine^ 

R.  LUDLAM,  M.  D., 

Professor  of  the  Medical  and  Surgical  Diseases  of  Women^  Ohstetrdcs^  and 
Clinical  Midwifery. 

TEMPLE  S.  HOYNE,  M.  D., 

Professor  of  Materia  Medica  and  Therapeutics.,  and  Clinical  Lecturer  on 
Venereal  and  Skin  Diseases. 

GEO.  A.  HALL,  M.  D., 

Professor  of  the  Principles  and  Practice  of  Surgery  and  Clinical  Surgemj. 
HARLAN  P.  COLE,  M.  D., 

Professor  of  General  and  Surgical  Anatomy  and  Minor  Surgery. 

W.  J.  HAWKES,  M.  D., 

Professor  of  Physiology  and  Clinical  Medicine. 

C.  H.  VILAS,  M.  D , 

Professor  (f  Ophthalmology  and  Otology,  with  Clinical  Surgery. 

C.  GILBERT  WHEELER,  M.  D., 

Professor  of  Chemistry  and  Toxicology. 

S.  LEAVITT,  M.  D., 

Professor  of  Obstetric  Anatomy  and  the  Mechanism  of  Labor. 

H.  N.  BALDWIN,  M.  D , 

Professor  of  Physiological  Anatomy. 


IPEES. 

For  full  course  of  Lectures,  including  Matriculation $55  00 

Perpetual  Tickets 

The  Spring  Term  commences  on  first  Tuesday  in  March,  every 
year,  and  continues  ten  weeks. 

For  Catalogues  and  other  information,  address, 

T.  S.  HOYNE,  M.  D.,  Registrar, 

81  f ^ abash  ylzY\,  CIl ICAGO.,  IDL. 


AND  PACIFIC  COAST  GUIDE. 


57 


the  westward,  for  5 6- 
10  miles  to 

Tracy  — a small 
side-track,  where  pas- 
senger trains  seldom 
stop.  It  is  5 6-10  miles 
further  to 

E g b e r t—  anoth- 
er unimportant  side- 
track. 

Near  this  point  we 
leave  Lodge  Pole 
Creek.  From  this  point 
to  the  source  of  the 
stream  in  the  Black 
Hills,  about  40  miles 
away,  the  valley  pre- 
sents the  same  general 
appearance  until  it 
reaches  the  base  of 
the  mountains.  Bears, 
deer  and  wolves 
abound  in  the  country 
around  the  source  of 
the  stream,  and  herds 
of  antelope  are  scatter 
ed  over  the  valley.  At 
one  time  beavers  were 
plenty  in  the  creek,  and 
a few  of  these  interest 
ing  animals  are  still  to 
be  found  in  the  lower  waters  of  the  strearn, 
near  to  its  junction  with  the  Platte.  This 
valley  was  once  a favorite  hunting-ground 
of  the  Sioux  and  Cheyennes,  who  long  re- 
sisted the  attempts  to  remove  them  to  the 
reservation  to  the  northward. 

Passing  on  up  a dry  ravine  6 3-10  miles, 
we  come  to 

JBarn!^ — another  small  side-track — and 
nothing  else — which  is  5 7-10  miles  from 

Hillsdale— When  the  road  was  being 
constructed  from  this  place  to  Cheyenne,  a 
large  amount  of  freight  was  re-shipped 
from  here  on  wagons.  Theii^  it  was  a busy 
place,  now^  only  a water-tank  and  side- 
track. The  station  was  named  after  a Mr. 
Hill,  one  of  the  engineering  party  who  was 
killed  near  this  place  by  the  Indians  while 
he  was  engaged  in  locating  the  present 
site  of  the  road. 

About  50  miles  to  the  south  is  “Fre- 
mont’s Orchard,”  on  the  South  Platte 
Hiver,  about  60  miles  below  Denver  City, 
Colorado,  and  in  that  State.  ^ It  was 
named  after  Col.  T’remom,  wiio  discovered 
the  point  in  his  exploring  expedition.  It 
consists  of  a large  grove  of  cottonwood 
trees,  mostly  on  the  south  side  of  the  river. 


MONUMENT  ROCK,  BLACK  HILLS,  U.P.R.R. 

The  river  here  makes  an  abrupt  bend  to 
the  north,  then  another  to  the  south,  cut- 
ting its  way  through  a high  range  of  sand- 
hills—the  third  range  from  the  Missouri 
River.  Where  the  river  forces  its  way 
through  the  bluffs,  they  are  very  high  and 
abrupt  on  the  south  side.  The  two  bends 
leave  a long  promontory  of  sand  hills,  the 
end  of  which  is  washed  by  the  waters.  At 
a distance,  this  grove  of  cottonwoods  on 
the  bottom  land  reminds  one  of  an  old 
orchard,  such  as  is  often  seen  in  the  East- 
ern States. 

Near  Fremont’s  Orchard  is  located  the 
Green  Colony,  at  Green  City,  which  num- 
bers about  200. 

Passing  on  from  Hillsdale  up  a ravine, 
which  gradually  becomes  narrower  as  we 
ascend,  with  bluffs  on  either  hand,  6 2-10 
miles,  we  come  to 

A^tkins— a side-track.  Passing  on,  our 
train  gradually  rises  on  to  the  table-land, 
and  thtn,  if  the  day  be  a fair  one,  die  trav- 
eler can  catch  the  first  glimpse  of  the  Rocky 
Mountains,  directly  ahead.  On  the  right 
he  can  catch  glimpses  of  the  Black  Hills 
of  Wyoming,  stretching  their  cold,  dark 
ruggedness  far  away  to  the  right,  as  far  as 


58  crofutt’s  new  overland  tourist 


the  eye  can  see ; but  the  bold,  black  line— 
the  dark  shadow  on  the  horizon,  which  will 
soon  take  tangible  shape  and  reality,  but 
which  now  seems  to  bar  our  way  as  with  a 
gloomy  impenetrable  barrier,  is  the  “Great 
Rocky  Mountain  Chain,”  the  back-bone  of 
the  American  continent,  though  bearing 
different  names  in  the  Southern  hemi- 
sphere. The  highest  peak  which  can  be 
seen  rising  far  above  that  dark  line,  its  white 
sides  gleaming  above  the  general  darkness, 
is  Long’s  Peak,  one  of  the  highest  peaks  of 
the  continent.  Away  to  the  left  rises 
Pike’s  Peak,  its  towering  crest  robed^  in 
snow.  It  is  one  of  those  mountains  which 
rank  among  the  loftiest.  It  is  one  of  Col- 
orado’s noted  mountains,  and  on  a fair  day 
is  plainly  visible  from  this  point,  175  miles 
distant. 

From  Atkins  it  is  5 4-10  miles  to 

Archer — situated  on  the  high  table- 
land, where  the  cars  seldom  stop — is  eleven 
miles  from  Hillsdale;  and  a little  farther 
on,  the  cars  pass  through  the  -fiTat  snow- 
shed  on  the  Union  Pacific  road,  emerging 
with  Crow  Creek  Y alley  on  the  left. 

After  passing  through  a series  of  cuts  and 
fills,  the  track  of  the  Denver  Pacific  rail- 
road can  be  seen  on  the  left  side,  where  it 
passes  over  the  bluffs  to  the  southeast. 
Directly  ahead  can  be  seen,  for  several 
miles,  the  far-famed  “ Magic  City  of  the 
Plains,”  8 4-10  miles  from  the  last  sta- 
tion— 

Cheyenne — ^which  is  the  capital  of 
Wyoming,  the  largest  town  between 
Omaha  and  Ogden.  Passenger  trains 
from  the  East  and  West  stop  here  30  min- 
utes,  for  dinner — and  no  better  meals  can 
be  had  on  the  road  than  at  the  Railroad 
House.  Distance  from  Omaha,  516  miles; 
from  Ogden  516  miles— just  halfihQ  length 
of  the  Union  Pacific  road;  distance  to 
Denver,  Colorado,  106  miles. 

Cheyenne  is  the  county  seat  of  Laramie 
coimty.  Population  about  6,000.  Eleva- 
tion 6,041  feet.  It  is  situated  on  a broad 
plain,  with  Crow  Creek,  a small  stream, 
winding  around  two  sides  of  the  town. 
The  land  rises  slightly  to  the  westward.  To 
the  east  it  is  apparently  level,  though  our 
table  of  elevations  shows  to  the  contrary. 
The  soil  is  composed  of  a gravelly  forma- 
tion, with  an  average  loam  deposit.  The 
sub-soil  shows  volcanic  matter,  mixed  with 
marine  fossils  in  large  quantities.  ^ The 
streets  of  the  town  are  broad  and  laid  out 
at  right  angles  with  the  railroad. 

Schools  and  churches  are  as  nunuTous 


as  required,  and  society  is  more  orderly 
and  well  regulated  than  in  many  western 
places  of  even  older  establishment.  The 
church  edifices  are  the  Presbyterian,  Con- 
gregational, Episcopal,  Methodist,  Catho- 
lic, and  several  of  other  denominations. 
The  city  boasts  of  a $40,000  court-house, 
a $70,000  hotel— the  Inter-Ocean— many 
new  blocks  of  buildings,  among  which 
are,  an  opera  house,  banks,  and  stores  of 
all  kinds,  besides  many  fine  private  res- 
idences, also  a grand  lake  or  reservoir  for 
supplying  the  city  with  pure  water,  con- 
ducted by  canal  from  Crow  Creek,  from 
whence  smaller  branches  run  along  the 
sidewalks  for  the  irrigation  of  gardens, 
trees  and  shrubbery,  which  will  soon  make 
the  city  a place  of  surpassing  beauty.  It 
also  boasts  of  a race-course  and  some  good 
“ steppers.”  It  has  three  daily  newspapers, 
the  Leader,  the  Gazette  and  the  ISun,  all  of 
which  issue  weeklies. 

Cheyenne  has  the  usual  small  manufac- 
tories, among  which  the  item  of  saddles 
is  an  important  one,  as  the  saddle  ^ of 
the  plains  and  most  Spanish  countries, 
is  a different  article  altogether  from  the 
Eastern  “hogskin.”  When  seated  in 
his  saddle,  the  rider  fears  neither  fatigue 
nor  injury  to  his  animal.  They  are  made 
for  use— to  save  the  animal’s  strength,  as 
well  as  to  give  ease  and  security  of  seat  to 
the  rider.  The  best  now  in  use  is  made 
with  what  is  known  as  the  “California 
tree.”  The  old  firm  of  E.  L.  Gallatin  & 
Co.,  make  these  saddles  a specialty,  and  fill 
orders  from  all  over  the  western  portion  of 
the  United  States.  Mexico  and  South 
A TTi  erica. 

The  railroad  Compaq’s  buildings  are  of 
stone,  brought  from  Granite  Canyon,  19 
miles  west.  They  consist  of  a round-house 
of  20  stalls,  and  machine  and  repair  s^p, 
in  which  are  employed  50  men.  The 
freight  office  and  depot  buildings  are  of 
wood.  The  freight  office  was  opened  for 
business  during  the  first  part  of  November, 
1867,  at  which  time  the  road  was  completed 
to  this  station. 

No  land  is  cultivated  around  Cheyenne, 
except  a few  small  gardens  around  Crow 
Creek.  The  soil  is  good,  and  the  hardiest 
kinds  of  vegetables  and  grains  couM  be 
raised  successfully  with  irrigation.  Graz- 
ing is  the  main  feature  of  the  county. 

The  Railroad  House,  before  which  all 
passenger  trains  stop,  is  one  of  the  finest  on 
the  road,  and  has  ample  accommodations 
for  60  guests.  The  dining-room,  which 


AND  PACIFIC  COAST  GUIDE.  59 


everybody  patronizes,  as  it  is  celebrated  for 
its  good  fare,  is  tastefully  ornamented  with 
the  heads  and  horns  of  the  buffalo,  deer, 
elk,  antelope,  mountain  sheep,  and  other 
game,  all  preserved  and  looking  as  natural 
as  life;  here,  too,  is  a great  variety  of 
other  interesting  specimens. 

The  other  hotels  are  the  Inter-Ocean, 
Delmonico,  on  the  European  plan.  Dyer’s, 
Simmon’s,  and  Metropolitan. 

Eakly  Times — On  the  fourth  day  of 
July,  1867,  there  was  one  home  in  Cbeyenne 
— no  more.  The  first  Mayor  of  Cheyenne 
was  H.  M.  Hook,  an  old  pioneer,  elected 
August  10,  1867,  who  was  afterwards 
drowned  in  Green  Kiver,  while  prospecting 
for  new  silver  mines. 

In  the  spring  of  1869,  there  were  6,000 
inhabitants  in  the  place  and  about  the  vi- 
cinity ; but  as  the  road  extended  westward, 
the  floating,  tide-serving  portion  followed 
the  road,  leaving  the  more  permanent  set- 
tlers, who  have  put  up  substantial  build- 
ings of  brick  and  stone,  which  mark  a 
thriving  and  steadily  growing  city. 

Cheyenne,  at  one  time,  had  her  share  of 
the  “roughs”  and  gambling  hells,  dance- 
houses,  and  wild  orgies ; murders  by  night 
and  day  were  rather 
the  rule  instead  ot  the 
exception.  This  lasted 
until  the  business  men 
and  quiet  citizens,  tired 
of  such  doings,  and 
suddenly  an  impromp- 
tu vigilance  commit- 
tee appeared  on  the 
scene,  and  several  of 
the  most  desperate 
characters  were  found 
swinging  from  the 
end  of  a rope,  from 
some  convenient  eleva- 
tion. Others,  taking 
the  hint,  which  in- 
dicated they  would 
take  a rope  unless  they 
mended  their  ways, 
quietly  left  the  city. 

At  present  Cheyenne 
is  orderly  and  well- 
governed. 

In  the  fall  of  1869, 

Cheyenne  suffered  se- 
verely by  a large  con- 
flagration, which  de- 
stroyed a considerable 
portion  of  the  busi- 
ness part  of  the  town. 


involving  a loss  of  half-a-million  dollars. 
The  inhabitants,  with  commendable  zeal, 
rebuilt,  in  many  instances,  with  more 
durable  material  than  before. 

GOVERNMENT  FORTS  AND  CAMPS. 

Fort  D.  A.  Russell — This  post  was  es- 
tablished July  31,  1867,  by  General  Auger, 
and  intended  to  accommodate  sixteen  com- 
panies. It  is  three  miles  from  Cheyenne, 
on  Crow  Creek,  which  washes  two  sides 
of  the  enclosure.  Latitude  41  deg.  08  min. ; 
longitude  10-  deg  45  min.  It  is  connected  by 
side-track  with  the  Union  Pacific  railroad 
at  Cheyenne.  The  quarter-master’s  depart- 
ment— 12  store-houses — is  located  between 
the  fort  and  the  town,  at  “ Camp  Carling.” 
Several  million  pounds  of  Government 
stores  are  gathered  here,  from  which  the 
forts  to  the  northwest  draw  their  supplies. 
The  reservation  on  which  the  fort  is  situ- 
ated was  declared  by  the  President,  June 
28th,  1869,  and  contains  4,512  acres. 

Fort  Laramie — This  fort  was  estab- 
lished August  12th,  1869,  by  Major  W.  F. 
Sanderson,  Mounted  Rifles.  The  place, 
once  a trading  post  of  the  Northwestern 
Fur  Company,  was  purchased  by  the  Gov- 
ernment, through  Brice  Husband,  the  com- 


DOWN  THE  WEBER  RIVER,  NEAR  MORGAN  CITY 


60  crofutt’s  new  overland  tourist 


pany’s  agent,  for  the  site  of  a military  post. 
It  was  at  one  time  the  winter  quarters  of 
many  trappers  and  hunters.  It  is  also 
notea  as  being  the  place  where  several 
treaties  have  been  made  between  the  sava- 
ges and  whites — many  of  the  former  living 
around  the  fort,  fed  by  Government, 
and  stealing  its  stock  in  return.  The  res- 
ervation, declared  by  the  President  on  the 
28th  of  J une,  1869,  consists  of  54  square 
miles.  It  is  situated  89  miles  from  Chey- 
enne— the  nearest  railroad  station — on  the 
left  bank  of  the  Laramie,  about  two  miles 
from  its  junction  with  the  North  Platte, 
and  on  the  Overland  road  to  Oregon  and 
California.  Latitude  42  deg.  12  min.  38 
sec. ; longitude  104  deg.  31  min.  26  sec. 

F ortFetterman — This  post  was  named 
in  honor  of  Brevet  Lieutenant.  Col.  Wm  J 
Fetterman,  Captain  18th  Infantry,  killed 
at  the  Fort  Phil.  Kearny  massacre.  Decern 
her  21st,  1866;  established  July  19th,  1864, 
by  four  companies  of  the  Fourth  Infantry, 
under  command  of  Brevet  Colonel  William 
McE.  Dey,  Major  Fourth  Infantry  It  is 
situated  at  the  mouth  of  La  Poele  Creek, 
on  the  south  side  of  the  North  Platte  River, 
135  miles  from  Cheyenne,  90  miles  south  of 
Fort  Reno,  and  70  miles  northwesterly 
from  Fort  Laramie;  latitude  42  deg.  49 
min.  08  sec.,  longitude  105  deg.  27  min.  03 
sec.  The  reservation  of  sixty  square  miles 
was  declared  June  28th,  1869.  Cheyenne 
is  the  nearest  railroad  station.  The  regu- 
lar conveyance  from  Cheyenne  to  the  Fort 
is  by  Government  mail  ambulance  and 
Black  Hills  stages. 

Fort  Casper — ^was  situated  on  the 
North  Platte  River,  at  what  was  known  as 
“ Old  Platte  Bridge,”  on  the  Overland  road 
to  California  and  Oregon,  55  miles  north  of 
Fort  Fetterman ; was  built  during  the  late 
war ; re-built  by  the  18th  Infantry  in  1866, 
and  abandoned  in  1867.  Its  garrison,  mu- 
nitions of  war,  etc.,  were  transferred  to 
Fort  Fetterman.  The  bridge  across  the 
Platte  at  this  place  cost  $65,000 — a wooden 
structure,  which  was  destroyed  by  the  In- 
dians shortly  after  the  abandonment  of  the 
post. 

Fort  Reno — ^was  established  during  the 
war  by  General  E.  P.  Connor,  for  the  pro- 
tection of  the  Powder  River  country  It 
was  situated  on  the  Powder  River,  225 
miles  from  Cheyenne,  90  miles  from  Fort 
Fetterman,  and  65  miles  from  Fort  Phil 
Kearny.  It  was  re-built  in  1866  by  the 
18th  Infantry,  and  abandoned  in  Julv, 
1868. 


Fort  Phil.  Kearny— was  established 
July,  1866,  by  four  companies  of  the  18th 
Infantry,  under  command  of  Colonel  H. 
B.  Carrington,  18th  Infantry.  This  post 
was  situated  290  miles  north  of  Chey- 
enne, in  the  very  heart  of  the  hunt- 
ing grounds  of  the  northern  Indians,  and 
hence  the  trouble  the  troops  had  with 
the  Indians  in  establishing  it.  Near  this 
post  is  where  the  great  massacre  took 
place  in  1866.  It  was  abandoned  in  July, 
1868. 

Fort  C.  F Smith — was  established  in 
1866,  by  Brevet  Lieutenant-Colonel  N C 
Kinney,  Captain  18th  Infantry,  and  two 
companies  of  that  regiment.  It  was  at  the 
foot  of  the  Big  Horn  Mountain,  on  the  Big 
Horn  River,  90  miles  from  Fort  Phil. 
Kearny,  and  380  from  Cheyenne.  It  was 
abandoned  in  July,  1868 

Here  the  thoughtful  will  note,  that  the 
Government  established  four  forts  in  this 
northern  Powder  River  countrv,  for  the 
protection  of  the  white  man  as  against  the 
Indian  To  the  occupancy  of  the  country 
the  Indians  protested,  and  the  Government 
acceeded,  and  made  a treaty,  yielding  up 
possession  of  the  whole  country  north  of 
the  North  Platte  River — the  Black  Hills 
included — and  abandoned  the  posts  and  the 
country  to  the  Indians.  When  gold  was 
discovered  in  this — acknowledged — Indian 
country,  and  the  white  man  commenced  to 
invade  it — in  search  of  gold — the  Govern- 
ment  attempted  to  prevent  their  trespassing, 
and  to  keep  faith  with  the  Indians  and 
Gen.  Sheridan  issued  his  orders  against 
this  invasion,  and  sent  soldiers  to  arrest 
all  parties  in  the  “Hills,”  and  prevent 
others  from  going  to  them.  Finally,  the 
Government  “ winked  ” at  emigration 
which  it  could  not,  or  would  not  prevent. 
Wliat  see  we  now  ? The  white  man  has 
taken  the  Indian’s  country,  that  our  Gov- 
ernment has  acknowledged  belonged  to  the 
latter,  has  drwen  the  Indians  out,  beggars 
as  they  are,  with  only  the  bread  that  the 
Government  chooses  to  toss  to  them.  We 
are  no  “ Indian  lover,”  but,  if  the  Govern- 
ment had  a right  to  build  these  posts,  they 
should  never  have  abandoned  them ; having 
abandoned  them,  and  treated  with  the 
Indian,  as  an  equal,  where  is  our  boasted 
“ civilization,”  when,  though  the  lands  do 
contain  gold,  we  take  them  without  a 
“ thank  you,”  as  the  elephant  would  crush 
a toad.  Does  7nigTit  right? 

Black  Hills  Gold  Mines— For  many 
years  vague  reports  have  been  in  circula- 


AND  PACIFIC  COAST  GUIDE. 


61 


tion  — see  our  Guide  for 
1869 — of  rich  gold  deposits 
in  the  Black  Hills  and 
Big  Horn  country,  hut, 
until  Gen.  Custer,  with  a 
military  expedition,  pene- 
trated to,  and  explored  the 
region  about  Harney’s  Peak 
in  1874,  and  reported  gold 
abundant,  the  soil  rich, 
the  country  well  timbered, 
and  most  desirable,  nothing 
definite  was  known.  In 
1875  the  gold-seekers  began 
their  travels  to  the  “ Hills,” 
in  1876  the  numbers  were 
greatly  increased,  but  in 
1877  the  great  rush  was 
at  its  height.  These  peo- 
ple have  laid  out  cities, 
towns,  and  villages ; en- 
gaged in  mining,  merchan- 
dising, farming,  and  other 
occupations.  The  principal 
wealth  of  the  region  is  in 
the  quartz  rock,  which  re- 
quires capital  to  work  to 
advantage.  Some  of  these 
quartz  mines  are  authori- 
tatively reported  to  be  ex- 
ceedingly rich,  and  at  the 
time  we  write — March  6, 

1878 — there  are  742  stamps 
thundering  away,  night  and 
day  reducing  the  ores,  which 
are  making  rich  returns, 
which  we  have  the  best 
authority  for  stating, 
amounted  to  over  $3,000,000 
for  1877.  The  principal  city 
in  the  “Hills,”  is  called 
Deadwood,  for  which  place 
stages  leave  Cheyenne  daily. 

For  route  and  fare,  see 
Annex  No.  50. 

These  Hills  lie  between 
the  43rd  and  45th  degrees 
of  latitude,  and  the  103d  and 
105th  parallels  of  longitude ; are  about  100 
miles  long  and  60  miles  wide. 

We  are  pleased  to  refer  our  readers  in 
search  of  further  and  full  information  on 
the  Black  Hills,  Powder  River  and  Big 
Horn  country,  to  Annex  No.  9. 

Cheyenne  up  to  this  time  has  been  the 
principal  outfitting  point  for  parties  des- 
tined for  the  Black  Hills.  The  amount  of 
freight  shipped  from  here  since  the  emi- 
gration commenced,  has  been  enormous. 


WASH-A-KIE —PEACE  CHIEF  OF  THE  SHOSHONE  INDIANS. 


The  road  being  a good  one,  with  good 
stations,  water,  grass,  etc.,  along  the  whole 
route,  it  has  become  the  principal  ^ one 
traveled,  particularly  by  small  or  private 
parties.  The  distance  is  266  miles. 

As  for  railroads,  Cheyenne  has  great  ex- 
pectations. She  already  has  two  roads  to 
Colorado,  and  now  is  agitating  a line  to  the 
Black  Hills,  the  Iron  Mountain,  and  to 
Montana.  But  as  these  roads  are  not  yet 
so  that  we  can  ride  on  them  we  will  pat_ 


62 


ckofutt’s  new  overland  tourist 


ronize  the  Southern  route  and  take  a run 
into  the 

IState  of  Colorado, 

the  youngest,  the  fairest,  and  the  “ Cen- 
tennial State  ” of  the  United  States ; ad- 
mitted to  the  Union,  ,July  1st,  1876. 
The  State  has  an  area  of  86,029  square 
miles,  and  a population  of  150,000. 

It  is  not  our  purpose  to  enter  into  a very 
minute  description  of  this  remarkable 
country.  Volumes  would  not  suffice  to 
do  justice  to  her  vast  resources ; her  mines 
of  gold,  silver,  iron,  coal,  and  copper ; her 
rich  and  fertile  valleys ; her  broad  plains, 
on  which  roam  thousands  of  cattle,  sheep, 
and  horses ; her  vast  agricultural  resources ; 
her  dense  forests  and  lofty  mountains ; her 
genial  climate  and  whole-souled  people, 
cannot  be  described  in  one  small  volume 
with  any  degree  of  accuracy  or  justice;  in 
fact,  they  cannot  be  described  at  all,  they 
must  be  seen  to  be  appreciated,  and  the 
reader  of  any  work  treating  on  Colorado 
must  live  among  her  hardy,  hospitable 
people  before  a correct  understanding  of 
their  real  character  can  be  obtained. 

The  climate  is  dry  and  very  healthy,  the 
Territory  being  unsurpassed  in  this  respect. 
Diseases  common  to  the  older  States  are 
unknown  here.  Pulmonary  complaints 
are  either  eradicated  from  the  system  of 
invalid  who  resorts  to  this  country,  or  the 
disease  becomes  so  modified  that  the  suf- 
ferer enjoys  a marked  improvement  in  his 
condition.  Within  the  past  few  years  Col- 
orado has  become  noted  as  a resort  for  in- 
valids ; and  we  hear  of  some  remarkable 
cures,  resulting  wholly  from  a change  of 
climate. 

The  report  of  the  Agricultural  Society  of 
Colorado  shows  that  stock-raising  is  carried 
on  to  a mry  great  extent^  and  with  very 
fiattering  results. 

Oats,  barley  and  corn  give  handsome 
returns.  Wheat  is  said  to  yield  from  40  to 
50  bushels  to  the  acre. 

No  State  in  the  Union,  California  ex- 
cepted, can  excel  Colorado  in  the  produc- 
tion of  vegetables.  In  some  portions  of 
the  Territory,  owing  to  the  dryness  of  the 
black  loam,  irrigation  is  necessary  to 
secure  good  crops,  for  which  purpose 
canals  and  ditches  have  been  dug  from  the 
neighboring  streams,  which  afford  all  the 
water  required,  and  also  ample  water- 
power for  mills  of  various  kinds. 

Colorado  is  rich  in  the  precious  metals, 
gold  and  silver  being  found  in  different 


parts  of  the  Territory.  “ Pike’s  Peak  ” be- 
came famous  in  1858-9,  though  it  is  said  that 
gold  was  discovered  in  the  Territory  in 
1849.  The  placer  mines  were  never  very 
extensive,  at  least  those  which  have  been 
discovered  were  not  lasting  ones.  It  ap- 
pears that  the  chief  wealth  of  the  mines 
lies  in  the  gold  and  silver-bearing  quartz 
lodes.  In  many  of  the  mines,  the  ore  is 
very  refractory,  and  large  fortunes  have 
been  expended  to  find  some  way  to  work 
the  ores  in  such  a manner  as  will  secure  a 
profit.  Many  plans  of  de-sulphurizing  have 
been  tried  without  any  marked  success. 
About  the  only  works  that  have  proved  a 
success  are  those  of  Professor  Hills,  at 
Black  Hawk ; these  works  are  the  largest 
and  most  successful  in  America. 

Along  the  base  of  the  mountains,  for 
many  miles  north  and  south  of  Denver,  ex- 
tensive coal  mines  have  been  discovered  at 
various  points.  Good  authorities  estimate 
the  extent  of  the  coal  fields  at  5,000  square 
miles.  To  the  north  of  the  city  several 
companies  have  opened  mines,  which  are 
yielding — besides  enough  to  supply  home 
consumption  and  the  various  railroad  com- 
panies—immense  quantities  for  shipment 
to  the  North,  East  and  South. 

This  coal  is  bituminous,  and  is  harder, 
brighter,  less  dirty  and  odorous,  burns  with 
a purer  flame,  and  leaves  less  residue  than 
the  coal  from  Illinois. 

Large  quantities  of  iron  ore,  of  good 
quality,  are  found  in  connection  with  the 
coal  deposits,  and  will  eventually  consti- 
tute a great  source  of  wealth  to  the  coun- 
try. Manufacturers  of  machinery  and  all 
kinds  of  iron  implements  would  find  in 
Colorado  an  almost  unlimited  market,  and 
would  be  able,  while  under  selling  Eastern 
dealers,  to  reap  a rich  reward  for  their 
outlay. 

The  following  are  among  the  minerals 
and  precious  stones  found  in  Colorado; 
Moss  agates,  chiefly  in  Middle  Park ; am- 
ethyst, at  Nevada,  Mill  City,  and  on  Soda 
Creek ; chalcedony,  in  South  Park ; feld- 
spar, near  Idaho  and  on  Elk  Creek ; gar- 
net, in  South  Park  and  about  Brecken- 
ridge;  jasper,  in  South  and  Middle  Parks; 
mica,  near  Georgetown  and  ^ Genesee 
Hanche;  opal,  near  Idaho  and  in  South 
Park;  onyx,  near  Willow  Creek,  in  Mid- 
dle Park;  quartz  crystals,  at  many  points; 
satin  spar,  near  Mount  Vernon;  silicified 
wood,  in  Middle  and  South  Parks,  on 
Cherry  Creek,  the  Platte,  and  Kiowa. 

Many  of  the  grandest  mountains  arc 


AND  PACIFIC  COAST  GUIDE.  63 

found  in  Colorado.  They  raise  their  snow- 
clad  peaks  far  above  their  compeers,  ris- 
ing proudly  and  defiantly  into  the  clear 
blue  sky ; their  gray  sides  and  white  crests 
being  visible  through  this  clear  atmosphere 
for  many,  many  miles. 

In  the  pure  air  of  this  country,  objects 
like  these  are  visible  for  a great  distance, 
so  great  indeed,  that  were  it  named,  those 
who  have  never  been  in  these  regions,  we 
fear,  would  doubt  the  statement. 

The  altitude  of  the  principal  mountains, 
according  to  Prof.  Whitney,  are:  Mt.  Lin- 
coln, 16,190  feet;  Pike’s  Peak,  14,336; 
Gray’s  Peak,  14,251 ; Sopri’s  Peak,  14,200 ; 
Mt.  Cameron,  14,000;  Mt.  Guizot,  13,223 
feet;  Yealie’s  Peak,  13,456  feet;  Parry’s 
Peak,  13,214  feet;  Argentine  Pass,  13,000 
feet ; Laguna  Alta,  12,000  feet ; Mt.  Flora, 
12,878  feet;  Snowy  Range,  11,700  feet; 
Boulder  Pass,  11,700  feet;  Georgia  Pass, 
11,487  feet;  Berthoud’s  Pass,  11,371  feet; 
Note  Pass,  11,200  feet;  Long’s  Peak, 
14,271  feet.  There  are  other  peaks,  less 
high,  but  none  the  less  grand  and 
majestic.  The  Alps  — storied  monu- 
ments of  poetical,  legendary  fame — cannot 
compare  with  these  mountains  in  scenes  of 
sublime  beauty  and  awtul  grandeur. 
Here,  all  of  the  vast  scene  is  before  you, 
the  pure  air  bringing  the  distant  moun- 
tains within  your  vision,  as  though  anxious 
that  the  whole  grand  beauty  of  the  scene 
should  be  visible  at  one  and  the  same  time. 
The  mind  drinks  in  the  inspiration  of 
the  glorious  vision  at  one  draught,  and 
filled  with  awe,  wonder  and  admiration, 
the  bounding  heart  almost  stands  still, 
while  the  eager  eyes  gaze  on  the  grandest 
panorama  in  nature.  Prom  the  top  of 
Grey’s  Peaks,  either  of  them,  a morning 
scene  of  glorious  beauty  is  unfolded  to 
the  visitor,  such  as  one  rarely  sees  in  any 
clime;  for  nature,  in  her  wildest  moods, 
has  never  excelled  her  handiwork  in  the 
panoramic  view  spread  out  in  every  di- 
rection. European  travelers  tell  us  that 
nowhere  within  the  range  of  European 
travel  can  such  scenes  be  found — scenes 
so  full  of  beauty,  sublimity  and  inspira- 
tion. 

Nowhere  on  the  old  continent  do  we  as- 
cend so  high ; from  no  point  is  the  view  so 
wide  and  comprehensivec  From  Alpine 
summits,  the  tourist’s  gaze  extends  over 
one  petty  province  to  rest  upon  another. 
Here,  the  eye  fails  to  reach  the  extent  of 
even  one  portion  of  our  country,  and  the 
far  distant  horizon  closes  in  the  scene  by 

dropping  an  airy  curtain,  whose  fieecy 
fringes  rest  on  mountain  peaks  and  vast 
plains  in  far  distant  portions  of  the  same 
fair  land. 

The  Summit  op  the  Rocky  Mountains 
— from  one  side  cf  which  the  waters  of 
numerous  little  springs  ripple  softly  away, 
as  though  afraid  to  venture  on  the  vast 
distance  which  lies  between  them  and  the 
waters  of  the  Atlantic  Ocean,  their  final  des- 
tination— rears  far  heavenward  its  serried 
peaks.  On  the  other  side  of  the  crest  the 
scene  is  repeated,  with  this  difference,  that 
the  waters  stealing  away  through  beds  of 
tiny,  delicately  tinted  mountain  fiowers, 
are  destined  to  reach  the  Pacific  Ocean,  on 
the  other  side  of  the  continent — so  close 
together^  in  their  infancy,  so  far  apart  in 
their  prime,  or  at  their  final  grave— the 
ocean.  This  point  is  the  apex,  the  centre 
of  the  North  American  Continent,  the 
crowning  peak  ot  that  great  backbone, 
whose  iron  ribs  are  represented  by  the 
many  spurs  that  branch  away  in  earnest 
support  of  the  whole  grand  system. 

Prom  this  point,  range  on  range,  gorge 
after  gorge,  can  be  seen,  interspersed  with 
rugged  peaks,  which  lend  a peculiar  wild- 
ness to  the  scene.  Away  to  the  east,  lies 
the  wast,  grayish  expanse  of  the  plains, 
looking  like  some  great  ocean,  its  breast 
unstirred  by  the  passing  breeze,  or  rippled 
by  a single  prow.  Nearer,  still,  among 
the  bordering  mountains  nestling  in  the 
hollows  and  between  the  brown  heights, 
lie  miniature  prairies,  patches  of  green, 
on  which  the  rays  of  the  morning  sun  fall 
in  folds  of  yellow  light,  enveloping  them 
in  a flood  of  golden  beauty.  Small  and 
insignificant  as  they  appear  when  com- 
pared with  the  vast  sea  of  plains  beyond, 
they  are  really  large  valleys,  in  which  are 
found  the  farming  lands  of  Colorado. 

These  little  valleys,  as  seen  from  the 
mountain  tops,  prove,  on  entering  them,  to 
be  both  wide  and  long.  They  consist  of 
the  North,  Middle,  South  and  San 
Luis  Parks,  which  lie  along,  on  either 
side  of  the  line  of  Central  Colorado.  Each  is 
a great  central  park  or  valley  in  itself,  shut 
out  from  its  neighbors  by  dividing  ranges 
of  rugged  hills,  the  only  entrances  being 
along  the  numerous  water  courses,  which 
have  their  origin  in  the  valleys,  and  cut 
their  way  through  the  surrounding  moun- 
tains in  their  passage  to  the  sea.  The 
extent  of  these  parks  varies,  the  largest  be- 
ing about  80  miles  long,  with  an  average 
width  of  40  miles.  The  smallest  of  the 

CROFUlVs  NEW  OVERLAND  TOURIST 


64 


number  will  not  exceed  40  miles  in  length, 
with  a width  of  about  15  miles.  Some  of 
these  lie  on  the  Atlantic  side  of  the  “ back- 
bone,” while  others  rest  on  the  Pacific 
side,  their  altitude  being  from  7,000  to 

10.000  feet.  They  are,  in  fact,  great  up- 
land basins,  the  reservoirs  of  the  debris 
which  for  centuries  has  washed  down  the 
mountain  sides.  Their  soil  is  fertile, 
yielding  wild  grasses  in  abundance,  fur- 
nishing food  for  vast  herds  of  sheep  and 
cattle. 

In  Europe  or  New  England,  were  such 
plains  found  at  such  an  altitude  and  in 
similar  latitude,  they  would  be  worthless, 
barren  wastes — probable  regions  of  per- 
petual ice  and  snow ; but  here,  grains  and 
vegetables  are  successfully  cultivated,  and 
cattle  graze  the  year  round  at  the  height  of 

7.000  feet,  while  those  valleys  which  lie 
between  this  altitude  and  that  of  the  high- 
est— 10,000  feet — and  including  those,  also 
afford  excellent  summer  pasturage  and 
great  crops  of  natural  grass,  which  is 
cured  for  hay  and  exported. 

These  great  fertile  areas  constitute  one 
of  the  great  resources  of  Colorado — an  un- 
bounded field  of  wealth  which  requires  no 
expensive  machinery  to  develop.  When 
these  plains  shall  have  been  stocked  and 
settled,  when  the  golden  grain  shall  wave 
in  the  morning  breeze  around  the  home 
of  the  pioneer,  when  these  lands  shall 
have  been  divided  up  and  peopled,  a new 
era  of  wealth  and  prosperity  will  dawn  on 
Colorado— an  era  of  steadily  increasing 
and  permanent  progress,  such  as  mines 
can  never  give. 

But  we  must  away — “All  aboard  for  Col- 
orado!”— While  at  dinner  at  the  Railroad 
House  in  Cheyenne,  the  “ Denver  through 
sleeping  car  ” is  dropped  from  the  Union 
Pacific  train,  and  taken  up  by  the  through 
train  on  the 

Colorado  Central  Railroad. 

Chief  oflice  at  Golden,  Colorado. 

W.  A . H.  Loveland,. . .Pres,  and  Oen.  Manager. 

E.  L.  Berthoud, Sec.  and  Chief  Engineer. 

O.  H.  Henry, Superintendent. 

This  was  the  first  railroad  corporation 
in  Colorado,  having  been  organized  in 
1865.  Ground  was  first  broken  at  Golden, 
New  Years  day,  1868,  and  during  the  year 
10  miles  of  track  graded.  In  September, 
1870,  the  broad  gauge  portion,  between 
Golden  and  Denver,  was  completed.  In 
April  of  the  same  year,  work  was  com- 
menced on  the  division  extending  north  to 


Longmont,  and  west  to  the  mining  cities 
of  Central,  Black  Hawk,  and  Georgetown. 
The  mountain  portion  of  the  “ Central  ” is 
a three-foot  narrow  gauge,  commenced 
about  the  same  time  as  the  Longmont  di- 
vision. and  completed  Sept.  1st,  1871,  to 
the  junction  of  North  and  South  Clear 
Creeks,  13  miles  from  Golden,  and  in 
December  following,  to  Black  Hawk  36 
miles  from  Golden.  In  March,  1873,  the 
South  Clear  Creek  line  was  completed  to 
Floyd  Hill,  334  niiles  above  the  forks,  and 
to  Georgetown  in  the  fall  of  1876.  In  the 
July  of  1877,  work  was  commenced  on  the 
extention  from  Longmont,  and  completed 
to  Cheyenne  in  October  of  the  same  year, 
making  the  whole  mileage  of  the  “Central,” 
184  miles,  130  being  of  the  broad,  and  54 
narrow  gauge. 

Leaving  Cheyenne,  our  course  is  west- 
ward over  the  track  of  the  “Union  Pacific,” 
six  miles  to 

Colorado  Junction— At  Hazard,  be- 
fore reaching  the  station  building,  our 
track  branches  off  to  the  left,  leaving  the 
Union  track  on  the  north  side  of  the  plat- 
form, while  ours  is  on  the  south  side. 

At  Hazard  we  meet  the  Overland  train 
from  the  West,  and  hear  the  cry  of  “Change 
cars  for  all  points  in  Colorado  and  New 
Mexico,”  and  having  received  on  board 
such  passengers  as  are  going  our  way, 
change  our  course  to  the  southward  and 
pass  over  a rolling  prairie  for  a few  miles, 
and  then  through  deep,  sandy  cuts  up  a 
heavy  grade,  cross  the  line  into  Colorado, 
and  descend  by  a great  Horse-shoe  curve 
into  the  valley  of  Lone  Tree  Creek,  and 
after  a distance  of  9 5-10  miles,  reach  the 
station  of 

Lone  Tree — a side-track  and  water- 
tank,  opposite  the  old  stage  station — the 
herds  of  cattle  and  sheep  being  the  only 
objects  of  interest  observable. 

Proceeding  on  down  the  valley,  which 
in  places  is  a half-mile  in  width,  cross- 
ing and  re-crossing  Lone  Tree  Creek,  we 
pass  through  several  cuts  of  hard  lime- 
rock.  In  one  place,  where  the  rock  has 
been  hauled  away  from  the  cut,  it  has  been 
dumped,  on  the  right  of  the  track,  a load 
in  a place,  close  together,  covering  a con- 
siderable ground,  and  the  action  of  the 
atmosphere  has  caused  these  hard  rocks  to 
slacken  and  fall  down  to  a white  powder. 
Scientists  are  requested  to  explain  “why 
this  is  thus  Eight  miles  further  is 

Taylors— a side-track.  Here  you  get  a 


AND  PACIFIC  COAST  GUIDE. 


65 


good  view  of  the 
Rocky  Mountains, 
with  Long’s  Peak  tow- 
ering up  the  highest, 
on  the  right  of  the 
train. 

After  passing  Tay- 
lors, “Round  Butte,” 
a sharp,  high  peak 
rising  up  out  of  the 
plain  on  the  left,  ap- 
pears to  view.  This 
country  is  wholly  giv- 
en over  to  stock-rais- 
ing, sheep  being  the 
principal  kind,  large 
flocks  of  which  will 
be  seen  for  the  next 
twenty  miles. 

To  the  eastward,  on 
Lone  Tree  Creek,  is 
a collection  of  tower- 
ing rocks— resembling, 
from  some  directions, 
an  old  castle — that  are 
called  “Natural  Fort,” 
but  they  cannot  be  seen 
from  the  cars. 

Nine  miles  more, 
and  we  pass 

Bristol  — on  Box 
Elder  Creek,  another  side-track.  A few 
miles  after  passing  Bristol,  by  looking 
away  to  the  right,  northwest,  can  be 
seen  the  Black  Hills  range,  south  of 
Sherman,  and  away  up  on  the  comb  of 
the  ridge,  but  r)00  feet  higher,  rises  on 
the  view  the  “ Steamboat  Rock,”  so-called, 
but  from  our  cars  it  resembles  more 
closely  a huge  fortress,  round  and  tur- 
reted,  as  seen  from  different  directions 
The  hills  are  nearly  bare  of  timber,  and 
in  places  are  very  red,  similar  to  those  at 
Red  Buttes,  on  the  Union  Pacific  road,  in- 
dicating the  presence  of  iron. 

Soon  our  train  reaches  the  high  prairie, 
and  then,  if  the  day  be  a clear  one,  the 
passenger  will  have,  on  the  right,  one  of 
the  grandest  mountain  views  that  can  be 
found  on  this  continent,  or  the  world,  the 
great  Rocky  Mountain  range,  extending 
from  north  to  south  as  far  as  the  eye  can 
reach.  Immediately  opposite  is  Long’s 
Peak,  14,271  feet  in  height,  the  base  of 
which  seems  almost  at  our  feet,  yet  it  is 
50  miles  away.  Beyond  can  be  seen  a 
few  peaks  of  the  “ Snowy  Range,”  covered 
at  all  times  with  a mantle  of  snow;  these 
are  full  250  miles  distant.  To  the  south, 
4 


BURNING  ROCK  CUT,  NEAR  GREEN  RIVER. 

that  towering  old  mountain  peak— the 
great  land-mark  for  the  “Pilgrims”  of 
'Uj58-9— Pikes  Peak  looms  up  150  miles 
away. 

Continuing  along  on  this  high  table-l  and, 
we  pass  several  small  lakelets  on  our  right, 
and  then  comes  in  view  the  valley  of  the 
Cache-a-la  Poudre  River,  a tributary  of  the 
South  Platte  River,  which  has  its  source 
in  the  mountain  springs  around  the  base  of 
Long’s  Peak.  This  river,  which  we  will 
cross  at  the  next  station,  is  about  50  miles 
in  length,  running  through  one  of  the 
loveliest  valleys  in  the  State.  It  is  thickly 
settled  and  the  settlers  raise  abundant 
crops. 

To  our  right,  away  up  the  valley,  em- 
bowered in  shade  trees  and  orchards,  is 
the  old  city  of  La  Porte,  a few  buildings 
of  which  can  be  seen  through  the  thick 
foliage.  It  was  once  an  important  point 
on  the  old  overland  stage  road,  which 
runs  from  Denver  along  the  base  of  the 
mountains  to  this  place,  and  continues  on 
through  Virginia  Dale  Canyon  to  Laramie 
Plains.  La  Porte  is  a small  place  of  per- 
haps 100  inhabitants,  a good  hotel,  several 
stores  and  some  tine  residences.  It  is 


66  ckofutt’s  new  overland  tourist 


noted  as  being  one  of  the  best  places  in 
the  State  for  game,  a place  where  deer, 
elk,  mountain  sheep,  bear,  and  moun- 
tain lions  can  be  found,  as  well  as 
the  finest  trout  fishing  in  the  whole 
mountain  range.  Descending  into  the 
valley  we  cross  numerous  irrigating  ditches, 
and  then  a long  bridge  over  the  Cache-a-la 
Poudre  River  to  the  south  bank,  and 
stop  at 

Fort  Collins — the  first  place  of  much 
importance  since  leaving  Cheyenne,  48 
miles  distant,  and  80  miles  from  Denver. 

Fort  Collins  is  the  county  seat  of  Lara- 
mie county,  in  the  midst  ot  as  fine  agricul- 
tural section  as  there  is  in  the  State.  It 
I has  several  churches  and  schools,  one 
; fiouring  mill,  a dozen  or  more  stores,  two 
good  hotels — the  Collins  and  the  Blake — 
several  small  manufactories,  and  is  popu- 
lated by  an  enterprising  and  thrifty  people, 
numbering  about  500.  The  town  is  a short 
distance  to  the  left,  east  of  the  station. 
Passing  on  to  the  southward,  we  cross 
several  large  irrigating  canals — one  be- 
longing to  the  “ Greeley  Colony,”  of 
which  we  shall  speak  hereafter— and  up 
over  a rolling  prairie  13  6-10  miles  to 

Loveland — rightly  named.  This  place 
was  cognomed  after  the  president  of  the 
road,  than  whom  a more  enterprising,* ener- 
getic, and  persevering  man  never  set  foot  in 
Colorado,  and  the  people  at  Loveland  Sta- 
tion have  become,  to  a great  extent,  in- 
spired with  the  same  spirit  of  progress  that 
animated  him,  as  is  manifest  in  the  improve- 
ments surrounding  this  station,  where,  in 
June  last,  1877,  there  were  but  very  few 
buildings  to  be  seen.  Now,  there  are  sev- 
eral stores,  a good  station  building,  soine 
fine  private  residences,  and  an  air  of  thrift 
pervades  the  scene  on  every  hand.  Wheat, 
oats,  barley  and  corn  are  the  principal  pro- 
ductions— of  the  first  two  named  the  crops 
are  very  abundant. 

Proceeding  on,  we  soon  come  down  into 
the  valley  of  Big  Thompson  Creek,  upon 
which  are  some  fine  farms,  especially  on 
the  upper  portion  near  the  mountains. 
Crossing  the  creek,  and  up  over  another 
stretch  of  high  rolling  prairie,  we  descend  to 
another  small  valley,  through  which  runs 
Little  Thompson,  which  we  cross  and 
stop  at 

Berthoud— a small  side-track  station, 
9 4-10  miles  from  Loveland.  Continuing 
our  journey,  we  again  pass  over  a high 
rolling  prairie,  used  mostly  for  grazing, 
4 3-10  miles  to 


Long’s  Peak — or  “Highland,”  as  it  is 
sometimes  called — but  really  we  could  not 
see  anything  to  call,  unless  it  were  the 
sheep,  and  they  were  numerous;  also,  fur- 
ther on,  some  farmers  were  engaged  in 
“tickling the  soil,”  which,  when  irrigated, 
produces  abundant  crops. 

Five  miles  further,  and  we  are  at 

Longmont — This  is  one  of  the  most  im- 
portant towns  on  the  road.  It  is  situated 
on  the  high  prairie  sloping  to  the  south- 
ward, about  half-a-mile  north  of  St.  Vrain 
River,  the  waters  of  which  are  taken  out 
about  seven  miles  west  of  the  town  and 
conducted  in  ditches  over  the  highlands  on 
each  side  of  the  river,  which  produces 
large  crops  of  wheat,  barley,  oats,  corn  and 
other  crops  annually.  During  the  last 
year,  over  300  car  loads  of  wheat  were 
shipped  from  Longmont,  besides  what  was 
ground  in  three  mills  located  near  the 
town.  Wheat  often  yields  30  bushels  to 
the  acre;  oats  50. 

Longmont  has  three  church  edifices,  two 
schools,  two  hotels — the  St.  Vrain  and  the 
City — ten  stores,  and  a great  many  kinds 
of  shops  and  small  establishments.  The 
Longmont  Post  is  a live  weekly,  published 
here.  Its  population  is  about  800,  and 
rapidly  increasing. 

The  streets  are  laid  out  at  right  angles, 
and  are  ornamented  with  shade  trees  of 
various  kinds,  as  are  many  of  the  private 
residences. 

In  the  summer,  a stage  leaves  here  for 

Estes  Park — 30  miles  distant,  to  the 
westward.  This  is  a beautiful  little  valley, 
about  six  miles  long  by  4:%^  wide,  sur- 
rounded by  mountain  peaks,  chief  of  which 
is  Long’s,  about  10  miles  to  the  northward. 
Spruce  and  pine  trees  abound  in  the  park, 
sufficiently  near  each  other ^ to  afford  a 
beautiful  and  cooling  shade  in  the  hottest 
days  in  summer. 

Crossing  St.  Vrain  River,  which,  a few 
miles  above,  forks,  the  southern  branch  of 
which  is  called  Left  Hand,  we  again  as- 
cend the  rolling  prairie,  and  six  miles  from 
Longmont  reach 

Ni  Wot— -a  station  named  for  a mine 
and  mill  on  the  side  of  the  mountain  in 
plain  view.  The  country  here  is  nearly  all 
under  cultivation,  that  portion  between  the 
road  and  the  mountains  being  very  pro- 
ductive. 

Eight  miles  further  on  we  arrive  at 

Boulder— This  city  is  about  one  mile  to 
the  westward,  at  the  base  of  the  mountain, 
and  mouth  of  Boulder  Canyon.  It  is  the 


Mule  Team,  in  1869,  loaded  with  Boilers  and  Machinery,  weighing  54,000  pounds,  en  route  from  Elko  to  White  Pine 


68  okofutt’s  new  oveklaxd  tourist 

county  seat  of  Boulder  county,  one  of  the 
richest  in  the  State . 

The  chief  business  in  which  the  citizens 
are  engaged,  is  mining  and  agriculture 
— gold,  coal  and  iron  hieing  the  principal 
minerals.  There  are  three  ore  sampling 
works,  one  smelting  furnace,  one  iron  fur- 
nace, two  flouring  mills — the  latter  turning 
out  350  sacks  of  flour  daily — one  large 
foundry  and  machine  shop,  and  numerous 
small  manufactories. 

There  are  many  good  business  blocks, 
four  church  ediflces,  and  several  good 
schools,  besides  the  State  University,  which 
is  located  here.  Of  newspapers  there  are 
two,  both  weekly,  the  News  and  the  Ban- 
ner. The  American  is  the  principal  hotel. 
Population,  about  2,000. 

Boulder  Canyon,  at  the  mouth  of  which 
the  city  is  located,  contains  some  magnifi- 
cent scenery, — see  illustration  and  Annex 
No.  11, — and  is  the  outlet  to  the  valley  for 
some  of  the  richest  mines  in  the  State.  In 
the  western  or  mountainous  portion  of  the 
county  are  located  the  Cold  Hill,  Sugar 
Loaf,  Caribou,  Pennsylvania,  Snowy 
Kange,  Gold  Lake,  Ward,  Jamestown  and 
other  rich  mining  districts,  containing 
numerous  stamp  mills  and  reduction 
works,  which  yield  a wealth  of  the  precious 
metals  daily. 

Near  the  station  we  cross  the  track  of 
the  Boulder  Valley  railroad,  of  which 
Boulder  is  the  western  terminus.  This 
road  connects  with  the  Denver  Paciflc  at 
Hughes’  station,  17  miles  north  of  Denver. 
It  is  operated  by  the  Kansas  Paciflc  Rail- 
road Co.  It  was  projected  in  the  first  place 
for  a coal  road,  but  afterwards  improved, 
and  is  now  in  good  condition  and  doing  a 
good  passenger  and  freight  business 

Looking  down  the  valley,  as  we  leave 
the  station,  two  high  peaks,  or  buttes,  can 
be  seen,  rising  some  hundreds  of  feet  above 
the  plains,  which  are  near  the  site  of  the 
town  of  Valmont,  started  in  1863  to  rival 
Boulder,  but  did  not  succeed. 

Crossing  Boulder  Creek  to  the  south 
side  we  soon  pass  Pettis  Lake,  noted  for 
its  numerous  sunfish;  and  5 5-10  miles 
more  brings  us  to 

Davidson — on  South  Boulder — a small 
side-track.  Two  miles  further  and  we 
reach 

Coal  Creek — on  the  stream  of  that 
name — after  crossing  which  we  commence 
a heavy  up  grade,  through  deep  cuts,  and 
on  for  ten  miles  to 

Churches— This  is  a small  side-track. 

named  for  a butcher  and  cattle  dealer  who  ■ 
lived  near  by,  in  1862-3.  It  is  in  a region  j 
where  irrigation  was  first  resorted  to  in 
Colorado,  ditches  for  which  purpose  take 
the  water  from  Ralston  and  Clear  Creeks,  j 

From  Churches  we  proceed  over  another 
dividing  ridge  of  prairie-land  seven  miles  lo 

Ralston — Situated  on  the  creek  of  that 
name,  which  comes  down  through  a deep 
cut  in  the  “ Hog-back ” Ridge,  two  miles 
to  the  west. 

From  Ralston,  our  course  is  to  the  south- 
west, up  a heavy  grade,  two  miles  lo  the 
summit,  where  we  run  between  the  Table 
Mountain  on  the  east,  and  the  “ Rockies,” 
on  the  west ; then,  as  we  descend,  on  the 
west,  can  be  seen  the  old  Golden  Gate 
wagon  road  into  the  mountains,  over 
which — until  the  building  of  the  “Central,” 
through  Clear  Creek  Canyon — passed  up 
and  over  the  “Guy  Hill,”  all  the  travel  for 
the  mining  regions  of  Gilpin  and  Clear  i 
Creek  counties. 

One  mile  further,  down  grade,  making 
three  from  Ralston,  and  we  stop  at 

Golden — This  city  is  often  called  the 
“ Lowell  ” of  Colorado,  on  account  of  the 
number  of  manufactories  located  in  and 
near  the  city. 

Golden  was  first  settled  in  1859,  then,  it 
was  a lively  place,  owing  to  the  gulch 
mining  on  Clear  Creek,  both  above  and 
below  the  town,  but  these  “placers”  having 
been  worked  out,  the  place  declined.  In 
1863  it  took  a step  forward  in  the  estab- 
lishment of  a pottery  and  paper  mill,  the 
first  within  800  miles ; but  since  the  com- 
pletion of  the  Central,  rapid  progress 
has  been  made.  The  town  now  contains 
about  4,500  inhabitants,  and  besides  the 
manufactories  above  named,  has  three 
flouring  mills,  a manufactory  for  making 
fire  brick,  the  Golden  Smelting  Works, 
which  turn  out  about  $300,000  worth  ot 
bullion  and  lead  annually,  and  the  Golden 
Smelting  and  Dressing  Works,  another 
very  extensive  establishment.  Besides  these, 
there  are  several  saw  mills  and  manufac- 
tories of  small  wares.  The  School  of 
Mines  for  the  State  is  located  here. 

Golden  is  the  county  seat  of  Jefferson 
county,  is  due  west  of  Denver  14  miles  by  ; 
wagon,  and  16  miles  by  railroad,  situated 
on  Clear  Creek,  or  Vasquez  Fork,  just  be- 
low where  it  debouches  from  the  moun- 
tains, and  close  above  the  Table  Moun- 
tains, which  rise  1,000  feet  above  the  town,  , 
in  what  must  have  been  at  one  time  a great 
basin  or  lake,  before  the  waters  of  the 

AND  PACIFIC  COAST  GUIDE. 


69 


creek  cut  their  way  through  to  the  plain 
below. 

These  mountains  are  nearly  round,  flat 
on  the  top  and  covered  with  grass,  from 
the  summit  of  which,  a magniflcent  view 
can  he  had  of  the  towns  of  Golden,  Den- 
ver, Boulder,  and  down  the  Platte  River  to 
the  northeast,  up  to  the  Arkansas  Divide,  to 
the  southeast,  and  out  on  to  the  broad 
plains  to  the  east,  as  far  as  the  eye  can 
reach. 

The  court  house  at  Golden,  is  of  a fine 
quality  of  brick,  with  cut  stone  facings, 
standing  on  an  eminence  overlooking  the 
city.  There  are  six  church  edifices,  one 
large  public  school,  capable  of  accommo- 
dating 300  pupils,  several  hotels,  among 
which  are  the  Bacon,  Overland,  Golden, 
Johnson,  and  Astor.  Golden  has  two 
weekly  papers,  the  Colorado  Transcript^ 
published  by  Geo.  West,  a Revolutionary 
soldier  of  1812,  or  rather  a pioneer  of  1859, 
and  the  Colorado  Globe,  by  Donaldson  & 
Moore. 

There  are  several  quartz  mines  near  the 
town,  and  the  whole  section  is  underlaid 
with  coal  mines  of  good  quality,  which 
are  successfully  worked. 

Clear  Creek  rises  about  60  miles  from 


MORMON  TEMPLE,  SALT  LAKE  CITY- 


the  city,  emptying  its  waters  into  the 
Platte  four  miles  below  Denver.  The 
stream  afl'ords  great  natural  advantages  for 
manufacturies,  the  water-power  being  un- 
limited, and  mill  sites  numerous. 

The  business  of  the  town  is  principally 
with  the  mining  region  to  the  westward, 
and  while  we  are  here  we  will  take  a run 
up  and  see  what  can  be  seen.  “ Change 
cars,”— this  time,  for  the  narrow  gauge,  and 
away  we  go  to  the  west,  up,  up,  through  a 
narrow  caoyon,  with  the  creek  on  our  left, 
and  the  towering  mountains  rising  above 
our  heads,  on  either  hand,  1,000  feet  or 
more. 

We  follow  the  creek  in  its  tortuous 
course,  in  places  100  feet  above,  and  then 
along  on  a level  with  its  banks  3 2-10 
miles  to 

Chimney  Gulch  — a station  only  in 
name.  In  1863,  a wagon  road  was  built 
up  this  canyon  to  Guy  Gulch,  three  miles 
further,  which  it  followed  up  about  three 
miles  to  where  it  intersected  the  old  Golden 
Gate  road,  at  the  foot  of  Guy  Hill.  Near 
the  junction  of  this  wagon  road,  which 
comes  in  on  the  right,  with  Clear  Creek, 
are  many  evidences  of  placer  mining ; but 
little  has  been  done  since  1859  and  60, 
when  this  was  a busy 
camp. 

From  Guy  Gulch  our 
course  is  more  to  the  left, 
crossing  the  creek  to 
the  south,  between  high 
towering  clifi*s,  for  1 6-10 
miles  to 

Beaver  Brook  — the 
first  stopping  place  so  far 
on  the  route.  Beaver 
Brook  — a small  stream 
comes  in  on  the  left,  down 
a narrow  canyon,  up 
which  six  miles  distant 
is  located  a sawmill,  in 
the  midst  of  a perfect 
forest  of  timber. 

Opposite  the  station 
building,  away  up  on  a 
projecting  point  of  the 
mountain,  200  feet  above 
the  road,  and  almost  over- 
hanging it,  is  located  a 
pavilion,  with  a stairway 
leading  to  it  from  near 
the  platform  below.  In 
the  summer  this  place  is 
a great  resort  for  pic-nic 
parties  from  the  valley 


70  ckofutt’s  new  overland  tourist 


below,  and  the  mountains  town  above; 
also  for  school  children,  the  railroad 
company  running  extra  trains  for  their 
accommodation. 

The  scenery  at  this  point  is  grand ; the 
mountains  are  full  1,000  feet  above  the 
road,  on  either  hand,  and  covered  in  places 
with  a dense  growth  of  young  pine  and 
spruce  trees,  presenting  as  wild,  pictur- 
esque and  romantic  appearance  as  one 
could  wish. 

Leaving  the  station,  our  road  makes  a 
30  degree  curve  to  the  right,  up  a grade  of 
272  feet  to  the  mile,  under  a projecting 
spur  of  the  mountain,  which  rises  1,500 
feet  above  our  train  (see  Annex  No.  12), 
with  the  creek  close  on  our  right. 

Soon  we  cross  the  creek,  and,  one  mile 
from  Beaver  Brook,  pass 

Elk  Creek — a side-track — and  con- 
tinue our  climbing  between  towering 
mountains  on  each  side,  3 4-10  miles 
further  to 

Big  Hill — Here  the  old  Mt.  Vernon 
wagon  road  comes  down  the  mountain 
from  the  left,  the  grade  of  which,  in  places, 
is  34  feet  to  the  100.  This  road  leaves  the 
valley  about  two  miles  south  of  Golden, 
and  after  climbing  the  mountains  via  Mt. 
Vernon  Canyon,  to  an  altitude  of  8,000 
feet,  descends  this  “ hill  ” and  runs  up  the 
north  branch  of  Clear  Creek  to  Black 
Hawk.  Many  of  the  mills  and  the  ma- 
chinery used  in  these  mountains,  in  early 
days,  before  the  railroad,  were  hauled  over 
this  road ; and  where  the  grades  were  the 
steepest,  the  wagons  were  eased  down  by 
ropes  secured  by  a turn  or  two  around 
huge  pine  trees  beside  the  road,  and  at 
this  time,  the  marks  of  the  ropes  are  to  be 
seen  where  they  have  peeled  the  bark,  so 
taut  were  the  lines.  We  know— of  our 
own  personal  knowledge — where  it  took 
ten  men,  besides  their  teams,  nine  days  to 
lower  down  this  “hill  ” one  boiler,  the 
weight  of  which  was  a little  over  seven 
tons.  Those  who  grumble  at  railroad 
charges,  please  take  notice;  the  wagon 
road  is  still  there— it  But  we  must 
away,  1 1-10  miles  further  and  we  are  at 
the 

Junction — of  North  and  South  Clear 
Creek.  Here  the  route  for  Georgetown 
turns  to  the  left,  across  the  bridge,  while 
that  for  Black  Hawk  and  Central  keeps  to 
the  right.  As  we  have  always  had  a 
desire  to  do  right,  we  will  keep  to  the 
right  awhile  longer,  and  note  the  result. 

From  this  point  to  Black  Hawk,  seven 


miles — and  we  might  include  that  portion 
from  Floyd  Hill  to  Georgetown,  on  the 
south  fork — nearly  every  foot  of  the 
creek  bed  has  been  dug  over,  time  and 
again,  by  miners,  in  search  of  the  yellow 
metal — gold.  Dams,  in  many  places,  have 
turned  the  waters  of  the  creek,  through 
flumes,  first  on  one  side  of  the  creek  bed, 
then  on  the  other,  and  the  greater  portion 
of  the  earth,  from  surface  to  bed-rock,  and 
one  side  the  gulch  to  the  other,  have  been 
dug  and  washed  over  by  white  men,  and 
when  given  up  by  them,  have  been 
“jumped  ” by  the  Chinese,  manv  of  whom 
can  be  seen  daily,  washing  and  working 
these  old  “placer  diggings”  over  again. 
Leaving  the  junction — the  road  is  on  the 
east  side  of  the  creek — we  proceed  2 1-10 
miles  to 

Cottonwood — a milk  ranche,  a side-track, 
2 7-10  miles  from 

Smith  Hill — where  the  old  wagon  road, 
built  by  Mr.  E.  B.  Smith,  of  Golden,  in 
1862,  comes  down  from  a narrow  ravine 
on  the  east.  The  mountains  on  each  side 
are  steep  and  high,  more  so  than  for  the 
last  two  miles  below  the  station. 

Nearly  opposite  this  station,  comes 
down  Bussell  Gulch,  up  which  are  located 
the  old  placer  mines,  so  noted  in  1859. 

Proceeding  upward  and  onward,  about 
one  mile  above  the  station,  we  pass,  on  the 
left,  the  old  Excelsior  and  the  Whipple 
Mills,  now  abandoned,  except  as  a shelter 
for  a few  Chinese  miners,  who  work  along 
the  creek  or  “ washee,  washee  ” for  a 
living. 

By  looking  away  up  the  mountains  on 
the  left,  westward,  can  be  seen  the  railroad 
grade,  where  it  runs  along  first  to  the 
south  then  back  to  the  north,  gaining  al- 
titude at  each  turn,  which  will,  when  com- 
pleted, enable  our  train  to  run  into  Cen- 
tral. 

Rolling  along,  we  pass  several  quartz 
mills ; across  the  creek  to  the  west  bank, 
and  along  the  road  on  the  right,  are  located 
the  Reduction  Works,  conducted  by  Prof. 
Hill.  These  works  are  said  to  be  the 
largest  in  America,  and  the  most  successful. 
The  weekly  average  value  of  gold,  silver, 
copper  and  lead,  amounts  to  $200,000 ; most 
of  the  ores  treated  are  purchased^  from 
parties  working  mines  in  the  vicinity,  or 
on  South  Clear  Creek. 

From  Smith  Hill,  it  is  2 3-10  miles  to  ^ 

Black  Hawk — a city  of  about  3,000  in- 
habitants, all  of  Mfiiom  are  engaged  ^ in 
mining,  directly  or  indirectly.  The  build- 


AND  PACIFIC  COAST  GUIDE. 


71 


DONNER  LAKE  BOATING  PARTY. 


ings  are  sandwiched  in  between  the 
gulches,  ravines,  mines,  rocks,  and  pro- 
jecting mountain  crags  in  the  most  irregu- 
lar manner. 

Gold,  in  paying  quantities  was  first  dis- 
covered in  this  section  of  country,  at  this 
place,  by  John  H.  Gregory,  May  6th,  1859. 
During  the  summer,  the  great  rush  of  gold- 
seekers  commenced  in  earnest,  and  the 
mountains  were  overrun  with  prospectors, 
every  day  bringing  reports  of  rich  placer 
diggings  or  quartz  discoveries. 

Close  upon  the  discovery  of  gold,  came 
the  newspaper.  The  Rocky  Mountain  Gold 
Reporter  and  Mountain  City  Herald  were 
established  Aug.  6th.  1859,  by  Mr.  Thos. 
Gibson,  at  this  time,  one  of  Omaha’s 
most  esteemed  citizens.  The  Post^  a 
weekly,  is  the  only  paper  published  here 
now. 

Quartz  mills  are  numerous  in  and 
around  Black  Hawk ; the  rattling  of  their 
descending  stamps,  night  and  day,  speaks 
in  thunder  tones  of  the  great  wealth  of  this 


mountain  country,  one  of  the  great  treas- 
ure-chambers of  the  American  Continent. 

The  railroad,  when  completed,  will  keep 
up  Clear  Creek,  to  the  east  of  Black  Hawk, 
where  it  will  make  a curve  to  the  west 
bank  and  follow  it  down  through  the 
more  elevated  part  of  the  city,  and  run  up 
the  mountain  side — as  previously  described 
— gaining  sufficient  altitude  to  reach  Spring 
Gulch,  close  to  Central,  to  the  old  Mon- 
tana mill  where  the  depot  will  be  located. 
But,  until  this  road  is  completed,  passen- 
gers will  take  the  “ bus  ” at  the  depot  just 
below  Black  Hawk,  and  ride  up  through 
the  city — through  Gregory  Gulch,  the  old 
town  of  Mountain  City,  and  along  a street, 
built  up,  most  of  the  way — passing  several 
quartz  mills,  for  a distance  of  about  two 
miles,  when  we  are  at 

Central  City — county  seat  of  Gilpin 
county;  altitude  8,240  feet,  being  about 
800  feet  higher  than  Black  Hawk.  The 
city  has  a permanent  population  of  about 
4,000,  and,  like  the  people  of  Black  Hawk, 


72  ckofutt’s  new  oveklaxd  tourist 


are  all  connected  with  the  mining  industry, 
more  or  h'ss  The  Reg  ester,  a daily  and 
weekly  pai)er,  enlightens  the  citizens  on 
the  news  oi  i he  day,  while  the  Teller  and 
the  Granite  hotels,  provide  good  accommo- 
dations for  the  traveling  public. 

Central  is  the  center  of  an  extensive 
mining  section,  composed  of  small  vil- 
lages, camps,  or  “diggings,’’  soine  of 
which  number  500  and  600  inhabitants, 
who  purchase  the  greater  portion  of  their 
goods  at  the  county  seat. 

The  mountains  surrounding  Central  and 
Black  Hawk — when  gold  was  first  dis- 
covered in  them — were  covered  with  a 
dense  growth  of  pine  and  spruce  trees,  but 
they  are  about  all  cut  off  now,  and  the 
whole  mountain  top  and  sides,  with  the 
stumps  and  prospect  holes,  present  a fac(‘, 
— “ pock-marked,”  we  should  say,  were  it  a 
child,  beyond  the  recognition  of  its  own 
mother. 

Gilpin  county  contains  19  quartz  mills, 
with  595  stamps,  which  crush  450  tons  of 
ore  per  day.  We  will  now  return  to  the 

Junction— cross  the  bridge  and  start  up 
South  Clear  Creek  towards  Georgetown. 

Soon  after  leaving  the  station  our  train 
arrives  at  a narrow  gorge  and  a sharp  curve 
in  the  road,  where  a huge  spur  of  the 
mountains  projects  out,  within  200  feet  of 
its  tall  brother  on  the  opposite  side  of  the 
creek ; and  as  the  train  passes  under  this 
over-hanging  cliff,  we  enter  one  of^he  grand- 
est natural  amphitheaters  in  the  world. 
The  moun’  ain  rises  over  2,000  feet  above  the 
stream  which  is  here  compressed  to  a rapid 
torrent,  thundering  at  its  very  base.  The 
scenery  for  the  next  two  miles  is  unusu- 
ally impressive.  In  places  small  pine  and 
ceaar  trees  can  be  se  n in  tne  gorges  and 
crevices,  which  add  an  additional  beauty 
to  the  scene. 

In  places  the  space  between  the  moun- 
tain Clifts  is  j List  sufficient  for  the  creek  and 
road ; i.i  others,  tlu  road-bed  has  had  to  be 
blasted  out  from  the  mountain  side. 

About  three  miles  above  the  Junction 
the  road  curves  to  the  right,  opposite  the 
base  of  Floyd  Hill,  down  which  comes  the 
old  wagon  road,  from  Bergins  township  to 
the  south,  and  follows  up  the  west  bank 
and  crosses  the  creek  at 

Floyd  Hill  Station — 3 7-10  miles  from 
the  Junction. 

From  this  point  up  to  Georgetown,  21 
miles,  the  creek  shows  many  evidences  of 
“ placer  mining,”  and  is  one  of  the  sections 
alluOed  to  on  a proceeding  page. 


Passing  up,  the  creek  bottom  widens, 
and  the  mountains  are  not  as  high.  Several 
old  deserted  mills  are  to  be  seen,  and  some 
work  in  the  placer  diggings  along  the 
creek.  Five  miles  brings  us  to 

Idaho  Springs — situated  in  Clear  Creek 
county,  on  South  Clear  Creek,  22  miles 
west  of  Golden,  and  16  miles  east  of 
Georgetown — elevation  7,800  feet.  The 
population  is  about  1,000,  nearly  all  of 
whom  are  engaged  in  mining  in  the  vi- 
cinity. There  are  some  good  blocks  of 
business  buildings,  a concentrating  works, 
several  stamp  mills,  a bank,  stores  and 
small  shops  of  all  kinds,  many  fine  private 
residences,  and  two  large  hotels,  besides  8 
number  of  boarding  houses.  The  Beebi 
House  is  the  principal  hotel. 

In  April,  1859,  gold  was  discovered  in 
paying  quantities,  on  what  is  known  nov 
as  Chicago  Creek,  a small  stream  tha 
comes  down  from  the  south,  opposite  tht 
station  in  Idaho,  but  these  placer  digging 
were  soon  worked  out,  and  then  came  th 
search  for  quartz  mines,  the  result  o 
which  has  made  this  county  one  of  th 
most  noted  in  the  mountains  as  a gold  an< 
silver  producing  region. 

Numerous  quartz  mills,  and  many  ric 
lodes  are  situated  near  1 daho.  The  Seato 
is  on  the  side  of  the  mountain,  north,  i 
plain  view  from  the  town ; Yirginia  Cai 
yon  coming  in  to  the  north,  has  several 
Chicago  Creek,  to  the  south,  contair 
among  others,  the  Cascade,  into  which 
tunnel  has  been  driven  550  feet. 

Idaho,  for  its  hot  and  cold  miner 
springs— and  swimming  baths— has  b 
come  noted  as  an  attractive  summer  reso: 

Jt  is  claimed  the  waters  contain  rare  m 
dicinal  properties,  and  are  nearly  identic? 
in  chemical  ingredients  and  temperatui 
with  the  celebrated  Carlsbad  waters  c j 
Germany.  Prof.  Pohel  gives  the  follow  | 
ing  as  the  analysis  of  the  water  in  propo' 
tion  to  the  gallon. 

Carbonate  of  Soda 30. 

Lime, 

‘‘  Magne-iia, 2.1  1 

“ ''  Iron,  

Sulphate  of  Soda 29.30 

“ “ Magnesia, ^ 

Lime, 3.44 

Chloride  of  Sodium 4.10 

Chlorides  of  Calcium  and  Magnesium,  of  each 

a trace.  1 

Silicate  of  Soda, 4.08 

Grains 107.00 

At  the  springs  are  two  swimming  baths, 
one  30  by  50  feet,  five  feet  deep,  the  other  20 


General  Offices,  10  N.  Jefferson  St.,  OMcago, 

Manufacturers  of 


{fM:  f i 


STEAM  AND  GAS  FITTINGS. 

Steam,  Freight  and  Passenger  Elevators, 

3ta.f  Steara  Eaag'i^aes, 

Hoisting  Machines,  for  Furnaces,  Coal  and  other  Mines,  &o. 


155  and  157  Dearborn  St. 

CHICAGO. 


BOULDER  CANYON,  COLORADO.  (See  Annex  No.  ii.) 


211  <£•  213  tv  ABASH  A VE.,  CHICAGO, 

LARGEST  MANUFACTURERS  IN  AMERICA  OF 

1 


m m 


andiest  thing  in  the  world 
lor  Lecturers  or  Sunda}' 
School  Workers. 


Blackboards. 
Extended  f r Use, 

:ice.. 11.50  to  $5.00. 


OFFICE  DEvSKvS. 


Dustless  Erasers. 

Per  dozen $1.80. 

Best  and  cheapest  made. 


Church  Pews, 
Pulpits,  Chairs  and  Sun- 
day-School Seats 
of  every  description. 


The  “Triumph' 


School  Desk. 
Jest  in  the  world. 


Dove*tailed  to- 
gether. Received 
the  Highest  Award 
for  “tetrength.  Du- 
rability and  Good 
Form,”  at  the  Cen- 
tennial Exhibition 
1876.  B^“Wehave 
Ten  Patents 
this  Desk. 


Two  Styles,  “i?”  and  “C. 

C. 

7 each,  15c. 

9 20c. 

It “ 25c. 

12 “ 30c. 


Large  dis 
counts  from 
these  priceg. 
the  dozen  or 
case.  These 
! Slates  are  un- 
lequal  ed  by 
[anything  i n- 
vented.  The 
children  whll 
have  them. 


WOOD  MANTELS  A SPECIALTY 


One  hundred  varieties  of  Office  Desks,  Library  Desks,  Tables  and  Chairs,  Marquetry  Floors, 
nch  thick,)  the  most  elaborate  and  durable  ever  made.  Correspondence  solicited  from  those  desiring 
rustic  and  Fine  Work  in  Hard  Wood.  N-  B.  We  solicit  no  orders  except  for  our  own  make  of  Goods. 

We  manufacture  Globes,  Maps,  Blackboards,  Liquid  Slating,  (of  the  very  finest  quality,)  and 
1 School  Apparatus,  Settees,  etc.  jJ^^Send  for  “Guide  to  Church  Furnishing.” 

> Addre.ss  as  above  for  Catalogue  in  either  Department. 


AND  PACIFIC  COAST  GUIDE. 


73 


by  40,  and  four  feet  deep,  also  private 
baths,  varying  in  temperature  from  60  to 
110  deg.  fahr.,  so  arranged  that  the  bather 
has  full  control  of  the  temperature  of  the 
water.  Besides  the  springs  above  named, 
there  is,  in  close  proximity,  a cold  mineral 
spring  of  sparkling,  eflervescent  water, 
which,  for  drinking  purposes,  is  very 
excellent. 

[We  hear  a rumor  that  the  railroad 
company  propose,  at  an  early  day,  to  erect 
at  these  springs  a large  hotel  capable  of 
accommodating  200  guests,  and  that  the 
house  will  he  provided  with  all  modern 
improvements,  the  hot  and  cold  spring 
water  conducted  into  every  room,  and  to 
baths — on  every  floor,  which  will  be  free 
to  all  guests  of  the  house.] 

Good  accommodations  can  be  had  at  the 
hotels  and  boarding  houses  for  prices 
ranging  from  $7  to  $14  per  week. 

To  the  south  of  Idaho — at  Brookvale — 
on  Bear  Creek,  is  a very  beautiful  summer 


resort.  It  is  the  residence  of  W.  E.  Sisty, 
Esq.,  Fish  Commissioner  for  the  State  of 
Colorado;  and  what  Sisty  cannot  tell  you 
about  fish  in  this  State,  Tvould  add  little  to 
your  education.  Game  of  all  kinds,  deer, 
elk,  mountain  sheep,  mountain  bison,  are 
abundant,  and  some  of  the  finest  trout  fish- 
ing near,  that  can  be  found  in  the  whole 
mountain  region. 

Leaving  Idaho,  and  continuing  on  up 
the  north  side  of  the  creek,  we  come  to 
Spanish  Bar,  once  noted  for  its  placer 
diggings ; near,  is  located  the  Whale  mill, 
on  the  opposite  side  of  the  creek. 
This  is  a brick  building,  75  by  139  feet, 
with  two  wings,  50  by  75  feet,  built  in  1864, 
and  intended  for  128,  and  provided  with 
Bertola  stamps  (weighing  300  pounds 
each),  an  iron  Chilian  mill  for  each  bat- 
tery, tanks  for  catching  the  crushed  ore, 
tanks  for  treating  it  by  the  Bertola  pro- 
cess, and  100  Beitola  pans.  About  600 
feet  above  the  mill,  a dam  was  built,  which 


SUMMIT  OF  THE  MOUNTAINS,  10,000  FEET  HIGH. 


crofutt’s  new  overland  tourist 


74 


afforded  ample  water  for  driving  two  large 
turbine  wheels.  To  the  south,  away  on  up 
the  side  of  the  mountain,  is  located  the 
Whale  mine,  marked  by  an  old  tram-way 
down  to  the  mill.  The  parties  owning  the 
mill  and  mine  resided  in  England,  and 
after  expending  $200,000  in  the  vicinity, 
abandoned  it,  and  nothing  has  been  done 
with  the  works  or  mine  in  the  last  twelve 
years. 

Just  above  Spanish  Bar,  Trail  Run 
comes  in  from  the  southwest ; up  this  creek 
are  some  good  quartz  mines,  and  exten- 
sive forests  of  timber.  Fall  River,  another 
small  creek,  about  eight  miles  long,  on 
which  are  over  1,000  quartz  claim  loca- 
tions, and  several  mills,  comes  down  a half- 
mile  above  Trail  Run,  from  the  north. 

Above  Fall  River,  half-a-mile,  Turkey 
Run  comes  down  from  the  south,  at  the 
junction  of  which,  and  Clear  Creek,  is  lo- 
cated the  Syracuse  Mill.  A little  further  on 
we  have  Spring  Gulch,  from  the  north, 
where  is  located  some  mills  and  valuable 
mines.  From  Idaho,  our  train  passes  all 
the  points  above  named,  and  after  a run  of 
5 6-10  miles  arrives  at 

Mill  City — at  the  mouth  of  Mill  Creek, 
which  comes  down  from  the  northward. 
At  Mill  City  is  located  several  quartz 
mills,  and  above,  on  the  creek,  are  some 
valuable  quartz  mines,  a smelting  furnace, 
and  several  stamp  mills.  Passing  several 
mills,  numerous  prospect  holes  and  tun- 
nels in  the  mountain  sides,  some  placer 
mining  along  the  creek,  and  we  come  to 

Lawsons — a small  side-track  station  at 
the  base  of  Red  Elephant  Mountain.  In 
the  fall  of  1877,  several  rich  quartz  mines 
•were  discovered  on  this  mountain,  and 
large  quantities  of  ore  hauled  down  to  this 
station  and  shipped  East,  and  to  Prof.  Hill’s 
works,  at  Black  Hawk. 

The  opening  or  “ dump  ” of  some  of 
the  mines,  can  be  seen  away  up  near  the 
top  of  the  mountain,  marked  by  a white 
deposite  line,  extending  down  towards  the 
valley  below. 

Continuing  up,  1 3-10  miles,  we  pass 

Empire — a small  town  situated  on  the 
north  side  of  the  road,  in  as  pretty  a loca- 
tion and  with  as  picturesque  surroundings 
as  can  be  found  in  the  mountains  of  Col- 
orado. Bard’s  Creek,  from  the  south,  and 
Lyon’s,  from  the  north,  reach  Clear 
Creek  opposite  each  other,  their  deltas, 
with  the  elevated  bars  of  the  creek,  form- 
ing the  town  site.  The  great  mountains 
of  Douglas,  Covode,  Lincoln,  and  Eureka, 


rise  above  the  town  in  different  directions 
1,500  feet  or  more.  The  elevation  of  Em- 
pire is  8,583  feet. 

North,  about  one  mile,  away  up  on  the 
mountain,  1,400  feet,  is  located  the  Empire 
mines.  There  are  quite  a number  of  stamp 
mills  and  furnaces  for  treating  ores  located 
at  and  near  the  town,  on  Lyon’s  Creek  and 
North  Empire. 

The  road  over  the  range  to  the  Middle 
Park,  via  Berthoud  Pass— 11, 350  feet — runs 
through  Empire,  and  is  one  of  the  most 
beautiful  mountain  roads  for  variety  of 
ever-changing  panoramic  views,  to  be  had 
in  the  world. 

From  Empire,  our  road  lies  on  the  west 
side  of  the  creek,  running  along  the  base 
of  Republican  Mountain,  which  rises 
above  the  road,  almost  perpendicular, 
1,250  feet,  while  on  the  east,  Alpine  Moun- 
tain elevates  its  crest,  2,000  feet  high ; on 
the  sides  of  these  mountains  are  shafts, 
tunnels,  and  prospect  holes  in  great  num- 
bers. 

Our  course  is  south,  4 2-10  miles  to  the 
end  of  the  road  at 

Georgetown — which  is  situated  in  the 
center  of  the  great  silver  mining  region  of 
Colorado,  at  the  base  of  the  Snowy 
Range,  near  the  source  of  Clear  Creek, 
— 8,452  feet  elevation — 22  miles  west  from 
Idaho,  54  from  Denver,  and  184  from  Chey- 
enne. 

Georgetown  is  the  county  seat  of  Clear 
Creek  county,  has  a population  of  4,500, 
and  some  very  good  business  blocks ; one 
bank,  numerous  stamp  mills  and  ore 
sampling  and  reduction  works,  five 
churches,  good  schools,  two  weekly  news- 
papers— the  Miner  and  the  Courier — and  ■ 
quite  a number  of  hotels,  chief  of  which 
are  the  Barton,  the  Phelps  and  the  Ameri-  ! 
can.  The  Barton  is  one  of  the  best  houses  i 
in  Colorado,  and,  together  with  its  “Annex” 
opposite,  is  capable  of  accommodating 
200  guests.  Masonic,  Odd  Fellows  and 
other  secret  orders  have  their  halls  for 
meetings.  Gas  works  ^ supply  the  town 
with  illuminating  facilities,  and  water— 
the  finest  in  the  world — is  conducted  in 
pipes  from  a mammoth  reservoir,  500  feet 
above  the  city,  which  affords  great  protec- 
tion in  case  of  fire. 

There  are  a number  of  little  towns  and 
mining  camps  near  Georgetown,  chief  of 
which  are  Silver  Plume,  Brownville  and 
Silver  Dale,  from  two  to  three  miles  dis- 
tant. 

One  remarkable  fact  exists — and  we  have 


FOREST  VIEW — THE  FOOT  HILLS  OF  CALIFORNIA. 


it  on  good  authority — that  the  thermometer 
never  has  been  known  to  mark  more  than 
four  degrees  below  zero  in  the  city  of 
Georgetown.  Situated  as  it  is,  this  city,  at 
the  head  of  the  valley,  walled  in  on  three 
sides  by  lofty  mountains,  which  protect  it 
from  the  wind  and  storms,  the  air  is  of 
great  purity,  and  the  climate  mild. 

The  first  discove^  of  silver  in  this  re- 
gion, was  made  by  James  Huflf,  Sept.  14th, 
1864;  the  location  is  about  eight  miles 
above  Georgetown. 

The  Georgetown  people  boast  of  a bit  of 
scenery,  about  ten  minutes  walk  from  the 
hotel,  called  the  “ Devil’s  Gate  ” and 
“ Bridal  Vail.”  Now  what  the  “Bridal 
Vail”  has  got  to  do  with  the  “Devil’s 
Gate,”  we  never  could  understand.  Are 
they  synonymous  words  ? 

Green  LiAke — is  2 1-2  miles  distant 
from  Georgetown,  reached  by  an  easy  car- 
riage road  that  winds  up  the  side  of  the 
mountain,  from  which  there  is  a fine  view 


of  the  valley  and  the  town.  This  beautiful 
body  of  water,  half-a-mile  long  by  a quar- 
ter wide,  is  without  a peer  in  any  land.  In 
a row  in  one  of  the  elegant  boats  over  its 
surface,  the  tourist  can  see  the  petrified 
forest  standing  upright  many  feet  below 
the  surface,  with  trout  swimming  among 
its  branches.  Here,  in  the  large  hatching 
houses,  are  thousands  of  California  salmon 
of  various  ages,  while  in  the  lake  there  have 
been  placed  over  ten  thousand  trout. 

The  Snake  Kiver  Pass — has  also  a 
good  carriage  road  to  its  summit.  Here 
you  can  stand,  one  foot  resting  on  the  At- 
lantic, the  other  on  the  Pacific  Slope. 
From  this  point  is  one  of  the  grandest 
views  of  mountain  scenery  on  the  conti- 
nent, including  the  Mount  of  the  Holy 
Cross,  so  named  by  the  early  explorers 
from  the  gigantic  cross  of  eternal  snow 
that  rests  upon  the  bosom  of  the  mountain. 
The  tourist  can  here  pick  flowers  with  one 
hand  and  gather  snow  with  the  other. 


crofutt’s  new  overland  tourist 


76 


Gray’s  Peak — is  reached  by  carriage- 
road,  and  easy  bridle  trail  from  George- 
town. The  road  passes  through  Silver 
Plume  and  Brownville,  both  important  as 
silver  mining  towns.  The  scenery  on  the 
route  is  very  beautiful,  and  after  reaching 
the  summit,  one  of  the  grandest  mountain 
views  in  the  world  lies  before  the  tourist. 
Should  you  see  sunrise  from  the  summit 
of  this  grand  old  mountain,  you  would 
feel  like  exclaiming  with  the  poet: 

“ The  hills— the  everlasting  hills— 

How  peelie^8ly  they  rise! 

Like  earth’s  gigantic  sentinels 
Discoursing  in  the  skies ! ” 

Middle  Park — with  its  celebrated  hot 
sulphur  springs — bathing  in  which,  it  is 
said,  “restores  health  to  the  invalid  and 
gives  beauty  to  the  homely,” — is  reached 
by  stage,  which  leaves  Georgetown  every 
other  day. 

In  the  park,  trout  are  caught  in  all  the 
streams,  and  elk,  deer,  bears,  and  small 
game  are  plentiful  among  its  hills.  This 
is  a trip  that  tourists  who  are  fond  of  hunt- 
ing game  worthy  o:  their  best  efforts  to  ob- 
tain, or  catching  the  shining  trout  for  their 
morning  sport,  will  not  fail  to  make,  and 
when  made,  will  never  be  forgotten. 

To  the  southeast  of  the  town,  the  road 
leads  over  the  mountains  to  Breckenridge, 
in  the  South  Park,  crossing  the  range  at 
an  altitude  of  13,000  feet. 

Georgetown  is  the  home  of  some  of  Col- 
orado’s oldest  and  most  esteemed  pioneers, 
among  whom  is  Stephen  Decatur,  Esq., 
late  Commissioner  from  the  State,  to  the 
Centennial  Exposition,  at  Philadelphia. 

The  “ Commodore,”  as  Mr.  Decatur  is 
more  commonly  called,  has  become  widely 
known  and  respected  throughout  the  State 
as  a correspondent  for  many  of  the  Eastern 
papers,  and  as  editor,  for  a long  time,  of  the 
Georgetown  Miner,  as  well  as  for  his  course 
in  the  legislative  halls  of  the  State. 

In  conclusion — as  we  have  advised  the 
tourist  in  regard  to  the  carriage  routes  from 
the  city,  it  would  seem  quite  proper  to 
state  that  there  are  several  livery  stables  in 
the  city;  but  the  one  where  the  tourist 
will  get  the  most  complete  outfit  at  the 
most  reasonable  price,  is  known  as  the 
“ Metropolitan  Livery  Stable  and  Omnibus 
Line,”  by  S.  W.  Nott. 

We  now  return  to  Golden,  and  start  down 
the  creek  between  the  Table  Mountains  en- 
route  for  the  capital  of  Colorado. 

Junction — is  two  miles  east,  near  the 
site  of  the  old  town  of  Arapaho — where 


gold  was  discovered  in  1859  and  over  fifty 
houses  erected,  none  of  which  are  now 
standing. 

The  Junction  is  a small  station  where 
passengers — while  the  road  from  Ralston 
to  this  point,  on  the  east  side  of  the  Table 
Mountains  was  in  operation — “ changed 
cars  ’ ’ for  difterent  points,  the  same  as  is 
now  done  at  Golden. 

From  the  junction  our  course  is  along 
down  the  north  bank  of  Clear  Creek — 
passing  the  mouth  of  Ralston  and  many 
irrigating  canals — through  some  fine  farms 
and  well  cultivated  fields.  We  pass 
many  cosy  farm  houses,  and  a side-track, 
six  miles  from  the  junction,  called 

Arvada — where  we  cross  the  creek  to  the 
southeast,  and — after  gaining  the  high 
rolling  prairie  four  miles  further — arrive 
at  the 

Summit — another  station  only  in  name. 

On  this  “ Summit,”  had  we  time  to  look 
around,  the  view  would  be  most  beautiful. 
The  city  of  Denver  lies  to  the  southeast, 
the  “Divide,”  to  the  south,  the  great 
Platte  Valley  close  in  the  foreground,  and 
to  the  right  and  left,  the  broad  plains  in 
the  far  east  limitless  apparently  to  the 
eye,  while  in  the  background,  are  the 
Rocky  Mountains,  the  base  of  which  is 
near,  but  the  peaks,  and  the  “range,”  to 
the  north  and  south,  is  only  bounded  by 
the  horizon.  But,  we  must  away ! Down- 
ward, over  the  rolling  prairie,  two  miles 
further  brings  us  to  a broad,  beautiful 
piece  of  bottom  land,  containing  a few 
hundred  acres,  where — in  1860 — was  the 
old  race-track. 

In  1874,  the  writer  had  as  fine  crops  on 
one  hundred  acres  of  this  land,  as 
could  be  seen  in  the  country,  but,  the 
great  flood  of  May  “ came  as  the  waves 
come  when  navies  are  stranded,”  and  took 
the  “boy’s”  last  15  cents  to  the  Missouri 
River. 

From  the  Summit  it  is  miles  down 
to  the  Platte  River,  where  the  train  crosses 
it,  and  another  half-mile  stops  us  at 

Denver — the  capital,  and  great  rail- 
road and  commercial  center  of  the  State  of 
Colorado.  The  population  of  this  re- 
markable city  is  20,000 ; an  annual  average 
increase — commencing  at  0,  nineteen  years 
ago — of  over  1,000  people. 

Denver  is  the  county  seat  of  Arapaho 
county,  fourteen  miles  east,  in  a direct 
line,  from  the  base  of  the  Rocky  Moun- 
tains. It  is  situated  in  the  valley  of  the 
South  Platte  River— on  the  eastern  bank— 


AND  PACIFIC  COAST  GUIDE. 


77 


at  a point  where  the  rolling  prairie  land 
gradually  slopes  to  the  westward,  facing 
the  mountains  at  the  junction  of  Cherry 
Creek,  5,224  feet  above  sea  level. 

The  mountains  extend  north  and  south 
as  far  as  the  eye  can  trace  their  rugged 
heights.  The  highest  points.  Long’s  Peak, 
to  the  north.  Pike’s  Peak,  to  the  soutli, 
and  the  “ dome  of  the  continent,”  Gray’s, 
in  the  center,  are  in  full  view,  towering  tar 
above  the  tops  of  the  surrounding  moun- 
tains. An  open,  rolling  country  surrounds 
the  city,  being  the  outer  border  of  that  im- 
mense plain  which  stretches  away  to  the 
waters  of  the  Missouri  River,  600  miles  to 
the  eastward.  Denver  is  built  up  prin- 
cipally with  brick  of  the  best  quality,  pro- 
duced near  the  city — and  in  point  ot  rich- 
ness, beauty,  and  the  style  of  its  private 
residences,  is  not  to  be  outdone  by  any  city 
five  times  its  age. 

The  city  has  many  fine  brick  business 
blocks,  a United  States  mint,  20  church 
edifices,  or  places  where  regular  public 


w^orship  is  held,  eight  banks,  including 
three  for  savings ; secret  orders  are  numer- 
ous, so  much  so,  that  there  are  no  secrets 
any  more — say  what  you  like.  Of  flour- 
ing mills,  there  are  five ; street  car  lines, 
several;  breweries,  three. 

The  city  is  provided  with  water  by 
means  of  a canal  15  miles  long,  which  con- 
ducts the  water  from  the  mouth  of  the 
Platte  Canyon,  to  the  southwest,  over  the 
high  prairie  to  a reservoir  above  the  city, 
from  which,  a portion  of  it,  is  made  to  fiow 
through  the  streets  of  the  city,  and  the 
parks  and  grounds  of  many  of  the  citizens. 
The  infiuence  for  good,  of  these  little 
sparkling  streams  of  pure  mountain  water, 
and  the  long  rows  of  shade  trees  that  have 
been  set  out  on  each  side  of  the  streets, 
within  the  last  five  years  —upon  the  health 
of  the  citizens,  as  well  as  the  sanitary  con- 
dition of  tbe  city,  cannot  be  overestimated 
or  described. 

Besides  the  above,  Denver  is  well  sup- 
plied with  seminaries,  schools,  gas  works, 


! 


78  crofutt’s  new  overland  tourist 


four  daily  newspapers — the  News,  Times, 
Tribune,  and  the  Democrat,  each  of  which 
issue  weeklies — together  with  eight  or  ten 
others,  that  are  exclusively  weekly,  the 
principal  of  which  are,  the  Rocky  Moun- 
tain Herald,  (who  has  not  heard  of  Gold- 
rick’s  Herald  f)  the  Colorado  Farmer,  the 
Journal,  and  the  Mirror.  In  fact,  Denver 
is  supplied  with  all  the  “ modern  improve- 
ments,” including  many  big  hotels,  and 
more  little  hotels,  but  the  principal  ones 
are  the  Grand  Central,  the  American,  with 
its  annex,  the  Inter-Ocean,  and  the  Went- 
worth. What  cannot  be  found  in  Denver, 
you  need  not  hunt  for  in  the  West. 

The  State  Agricultural  Society  has  40 
acres  of  ground  adjoining  Denver,  where 
stalls,  etc.,  have  been  erected  for  the  ac- 
commodation of  animals  at  the  annual 
fairs.  A half-mile  race  track  is  laid  out 
and  the  buildings  and  the  land  enclosed 
with  a concrete  wall,  the  whole  costing 
about  $10,000. 

The  Ford  Park  Association  have  a race 
track  about  two  miles  northeast  of  the 
city ; it  is  handsomely  enclosed,  and  kept 
in  good  repair.  On  every  afternoon  the 
fast  horses  of  Denver  and  their  fast  drivers 
can  be  seen  enjoying  the  smooth  track  at 
2 :40  speed. 

The  Board  of  Trade  was  organized  in 
Denver  in  the  fall  of  1867,  by  the  capital- 
ists and  business  men  of  the  city,  especially 
to  build  the  Denver  Pacific  railroad,  which 
it  aided  to  a great  extent.  The  Board  has 
taken  the  lead  since,  however,  in  all  public 
enterprises,  and  has  been  one  of  the  lead- 
ing instrumentalities  in  promoting  the 
growth  and  prosperity  of  the  city. 

Narrow  Gauge  — The  first  narrow 
gauge  railroad  in  Colorado,  was  organized 
by  the  writer,  and  incorporated  January 
30,  1868.  It  was  called : “ The  Arapaho, 
Jefferson  & South  Park  railroad.”  When 
this  road  was  incorporated,  there  was  not 
a foot  of  railroad  track  in  Colorado,  and 
not  a shovel-full  of  dirt  had  been  moved  to 
construct  one.  The  nearest  lumber  had  to 
be  hauled  on  wagons,  from  35  to  60  miles, 
and  sold  in  Denver,  from  $50  to  $100  per 
thousand  feet.  Wood  had  to  be  hauled 
over  25  miles,  and  at  times  sold  as  high  as 
$80  per  cord.  Coal  was  hauled  from  15  to 
23  miles,  and  sold  from  $12  to  $30  per  ton. 

Just  previous  to  the  organization  of  the 
above  company,  the  Denver  Pacific  Rail- 
road Co.,  had  secured  the  bonds  of 
Arapaho  county  to  the  amount  of  $500,000, 
in  aid  of  their  road,  and  were  advertising 


for  bids  for  200,000  ties,  and  the  Kansas 
Pacific  Company  — claiming  all  timber 
within  twenty-five  miles  of  their  line — had 
warned  all  persons  against  cutting  ties 
within  that  limit,  under  penalty  of  the 
law. 

To  build  this  “ baby  road  ” to  the  timber 
region,  beyond  the  prescribed  limits, 
and  put  in  the  200,000  ties  for  the  Denver 
Pacific,  was  the  incentive  which  prompted 
the  writer  in  attempting  to  build  the  Ara- 
paho, Jefl’erson  & South  Park  railroad. 

The  route  was  westward  from  Denver 
via  Mt.  Vernon  Canyon,  to  Btrgin  town- 
ship, 30  miles  distant.  The  route  was 
duly  surveyed  and  found  satisfactory ; the 
money  and  labor  necessary  was  ready  to 
complete  the  road  in  90  days — conditional, 
however,  on  securing  the  tie  contract.  The 
ties  could  be  purchased  at  the  end  of  the 
road  in  the  mountains,  for  15  cents  each 
with  all  down  grade  to  Denver. 

Then  it  v as  that  a bid  was  handed  to  the 
President  of  the  “ D.  P.,”  offering  to  put  in 
200,000  ties  for  50  cents  each.  This  bid  was 
immediately  taken  to  Omaha,  and  the  con- 
tract given  to  two  of  her  citizens,  at  a price 
consider abl;ynore  than  double  the  amount 
for  which  tm  narrow  gauge  company  of- 
fered to  contract. 

On  the  return  of  the  official  from  Omaha, 
the  writer  was  told  by  the  then  President  of 
the  Board  of  Trade,  and  a “ director  ” of 
the  Denver  Pacific:  “Crofutt,  your  bid  was 
too  low;  if  you  had  bid  higher— at  a price 
high  enough  for  us  all  to  make  something 
— you  could  have  had  the  contract.”  We 
immediately  wilted.  Previous  to  that  time, 
we  would  have  made  an  affidavit  that 
every  man,  woman  and  child  in  Colorado 
was  honest,  and  all  working  together  for 
the  common  good. 

Well,  time  passed,  the  child  died,  the 
“ boy  ” fled  the  country,  and  only  after  ten 
years,  returns  to  record  a little  of  the 
earlv  history  of  “ narrow  gauge  ” in  Col- 
oraao. 

Earlier  History— The  first  settlement 
where  Denver  now  stands,  was  made  Nov. 
1st,  1858.  Aurara,  now  West  Denver,  was 
laid  out  and  named  on  the  4th,  and  on  the 
6th,  there  being  200  people  present,  an 
election  was  held,  and  H.  J.  Graham  was 
elected  a delegate  to  Congress,  and  in- 
structed to  get  the  “Pike’s  Peak  gold 
mines  ” set  apart  from  Kansas  as  a separate 
Territory.  On  the  8th,  Mr.  Graham 
started  for  Washington  In 

December  following,  the  town  ot  St. 


AND  PACIFIC  COAST  GUIDE.  79 

Charles  was  laid  out,  where  East  Denver 
now  stands. 

In  the  following  spring,  the  town  was 
sold,  and  the  purchasers  named  the  place 
Denver.  On  the  21st  of  April,  1859,  the 
first  printing  press  arrived  in  Aurara,  and 
in  27  hours  from  its  arrival,  the  first  copy 
of  the  Rocky  Mountain  News  was  issued, 
with  Wm.  N.  Byers  and  Thomas  Gibson 
as  editors  and  proprietors. 

May  7th,  1859,  two  Pike’s  Peak  ” ex- 
press coaches  arrived,  19  days  from  Leav- 
enworth. 

In  July,  1860,  the  U.  S.  postoffice  was 
first  opened  in  Denver,  previous  to  which 
it  cost  25  cents  to  $1.00  for  ach  letter,  be- 
sides the  U.  S.  postage,  according  to  the 
amount  of  competition.  Now,  how  changed! 

Kailroads — The  following  roads  h ve 
their  termini  in  Denver ; The  Kansas  Pa- 
cific, Denver  Pacific,  Col  rado  Central,  en- 
ver.  South  Park  & Pacific  and  the  Denver 
& Rio  Grande. 

The  Kansas  Pacific  Railway— was 
completed  from  the  Missouri  River  in  the 
fall  of  1870,  and  trains  run  regularly.  The 
depot  is  on  the  east  side  of  the  Platte 
River,  on  the  bottom  land,  a half-mile  north 
of  the  city,  where  is  also  th^  depot  of  the 
Denver  Pacific  and  the  Denver  & Rio 
Grande. 

From  Denver,  the  course  of  the  K.  P. 
trains  is  down  the  Platte,  along  the  table- 
land for  a few  miles,  and  then  turns  to  the 
eastward,  passing  for  250  miles  over  a high 
“rolling  prairie”  adapted  wholly  to 
grazing  purposes,  except  in  small  places 
where  the  road  crosses  Kiowa,  Wolf  and 
Comanche  creeks,  and  the  branches  of 
Bijou  Creek  and  in  Bijou  Basin;  and  as  a 
stock  country,  a greater  portion  of  this 
region  has  no  superior. 

The  Denver,  South  Park  & Pacific 
Railroad — A narrow  gauge  road  under 
this  title  was  organized  and  surveyed  in 
1874.  The  line  starts  from  Denver  and  fol- 
lows up  the  Platte  River  and  Deer  Creek, 
and  enters  the  South  Park  within  a dis- 
tance of  about  65  miles,  thence  to  the  San 
Juan  country,  with  Salt  Lake  as  an  ob- 
jective point. 

The  line  will  traverse — within  the  first 
100  miles — a country  rich  in  gold,  silver, 
coal,  copper,  and  many  other  minerals; 
the  finest  and  most  extensive  timber  lands ; 
the  salt  region  of  the  South  Park,  near 
where  are  the  most  valuable  quarries  of 
granite  and  lime ; through  extensive  graz- 
ing lands,  where  game  is  abundant  and 

the  scenery  the  most  enchanting. 

In  the  spring  of  1875,  the  road  was  com- 
pleted to  Morrisons,  16  miles,  and  is  now — 
March  1st,  1878 — being  pushed  ahead  vig- 
orously through  the  canyons,  and  will  be 
completed  within  a few  months  to  a point 
in  the  South  Park,  75  miles  distant.  We 
will  now  take  a run  down  the 

Denver  & Rio  Orande  R.R. 

The  General  offices  of  this  road  are  at 
Denver,  Colorado, 

Gen’l.  Wm.  J.  Palmer President. 

W.  W.  Borst Superintendent. 

G.  C.  Dodge GenH  Passenger  Agent. 

This  enterprise  is  the  “pioneer,  three-foot, 
narrow  gauge  freight  and  passenger  rail- 
road of  the  world.”  Its  objective  point  is 
El  Paso  and  the  “ City  of  the  Montezumas  ” 
—Mexico. 

The  work  of  grading  commenced  in 
March  1871,  and  the  first  train  reached  Col- 
orado Springs  October  27th,  of  the  same 
year;  distance,  76  miles.  June  15th,  1872, 
the  road  was  completed  to  Pueblo,  44  miles 
further.  The  branch  to  Canyon  City — 40 
miles — was  completed  in  July,  1874,  and 
the  main  line  to  El  Moro,  86  miles 
south  of  Pueblo,  in  April,  1876.  Work 
was  commenced  in  May,  1876,  on  the  line 
from  Cucharas — over  the  Sangre  de  Christo 
Mountains,  via  Veta  Pass,  to  Garland — 220 
miles  from  Denver — and  completed  Au- 
gust 6th,  1877,  making  the  total  mileage 
of  the  road  and  branches  297  miles. 

The  road  is  now  being  extended,  and  we 
learn,  will  be  completed  to  the  Rio  Grande 
River,  in  the  center  of  San  Louis  Valley — 
60  miles  distant  from  Garland — by  May, 
1878,  where  a new  town  is  being  laid  out, 
called  “Almosa.” 

Is  the  time  far  distant  when  the  tourist 
will  hear,  on  approaching  the  depot  in 
Denver,  “ All  aboard  for  Santa  Fe,  City  of 
Mexico,  Panama,  and  Cape  Horn  ? ” Quien 
sahe?  But  we  must  away.  The  traveler 
making  the  first  trip  on  a narrow-gauge 
road,  will  be  surprised  to  find  how  com- 
fortable the  cars  are,  and  how  smoothly 
they  ride. 

Leaving  Denver,  the  cars  run  along 
through  the  western  edge  of  the  city,  cross 
Cherry  Creek,  which  rises  in  the  Arkansas 
Divide,  50  miles  to  the  south,  and  canyons 
through  Plum  Creek  Divide,  40  miles 
above  the  city,  the  road  passing  the  com- 
pany’s machine  shops  2 2-10  miles  distant 
on  the  right. 

The  grand  old  mountain  range  looms  up 

80  ckofutt’s  xew  overland  tourist 


in  the  distance  on  our  right;  the  Platte 
Kiver  is,  in  places,  close  on  the  same  side, 
while  between  the  river  and  the  moun- 
tains lies  a stretch  of  fourteen  miles  of  as 
beautiful  rolling  prairie  land  as  one  could 
wish  to  see. 

Four  miles  from  Denver  we  pass  the  pi- 
oneer ranche  of  the  country,  on  the  right. 
The  land  which  it  embraces  was  taken  up 
in  the  spring  of  1859,  by  Mr.  Rufus  Clark, 
w^ho  is  commonly  called  by  all  old  settlers 
“Potato  Clark,”  from  the  fact  that  Mr. 
Clark  was  the  first  person  in  the  country 
to  raise  a crop  of  potatoes.  Having  sold 
most  of  the  crop  at  prices  ranging  from  20 
to  35  cents  per  pound,  after  having  cut  ofi’ 
and  saved  the  seed  end  of  each  to  plant  the 
next  season,  he  come  to  make  the  potato 
crop  a specialty^  to  a great  extent,  and  in 
the  years  from  1860  to  1865,  often  had  250 
acres  of  potatoes,  which  yielded  enor- 
mously. 

Mr.  Clark  is  a man  wjio  always  buys  for 
cash,  and  sells  for  the  best  price  \hQ  market 
will  afford,  and  although  he  has  often  been 
called  close  in  exacting  his  due,  no  person 
ever  questioned  his  sterling  integrity. 

It  was  along  the  river,  just  above,  where 
gold  was  first  discovered  on  the  Platte  in 
1859,  but  the  “diggings”  were  not  profitable 
and  were  abandoned. 

About  one  mile  further.  Bear  Creek 
comes  into  the  Platte,  on  the  west  side,  its 
junction  being  marked  by  trees,  houses  and 
well-cultivated  fields.  Eight  miles  from 
Denver,  we  pass 

Petersburg — an  unimportant  side- 
track, and  two  miles  further  come  to 

Littleton — This  station  is  composed  of 
a dozen  or  more  buildings,  surrounded  by 
some  fine  farms  and  farm  houses ; most  of 
the  latter  are  painted  white,  and  the  flow- 
ers and  shrubbery  surrounding  them  look 
as  though  there  was  a woman  in  the  family. 

Passing  on,  the  bluffs  and  ravines  seem 
gradually  to  close  in  on  our  left,  and  we 
roll  through  numerous  cuts,  cross  the  canal 
that  supplies  Denver  with  water,  pass 

Acequa — a side-track,  and  then 

Plum — another  station  only  in  name, 
opposite  Platte  Canyon. 

Our  course  is  now  to  the  southeast — up 
Plum  Creek — ^which  we  shall  follow  for 
25  miles.  This  is  a rough  and  very  little 
cultivated,  ragged  country,  but  well 
adapted  to  stock-raising,  many  vast  herds 
of  cattle  appearing  thereon. 

A few  miles  further,  we  pass,  on  the 
right,  the  site  of  the  old  Fisher  mill  of 


1860.  Opposite  this  mill,  comes  down  the 
old  Plum  Creek  Divide  wagon-road,  which 
left  the  railroad  six  miles  south  of  Denver 
on  the  Platte,  turning  up  over  the  ridge, 
via  the  “Pretty  Woman’s  Ranche,”  of 
1860-3,  situated  at  a spring  on  the  southern 
slope  of  the  Divide,  five  miles  distant. 

Continuing  along,  we  pass,  on  the  right, 
Fisher  Ranche,  and  then  come  to 

Castle  Rock  Station— 32  8-10  miles 
from  Denver,  so  named  for  a huge  castella- 
ted rock  that  stands  away  up  on  the  apex 
of  a spur  of  the  Divide,  that  here  projects 
out  into  the  valley,  as  though  to  bar  our 
way. 

At  Castle  Rock  there  is  a settlement 
of  about  50  people.  Some  of  the  bot- 
tom land  along  the  creek  is  cultivated, 
and  some  to  the  eastward,  up  a little  valley, 
but  the  greater  portion  depend  upon  stock 
raising.  The  road  from  this  station  turns 
to  the  south  2 6-10  miles  to 

Douglass — a side-track,  and  a rugged 
country,  with  very  little  land  fit  for  cultiva- 
ting, then  3 2-10  miles  to 

Glade — another  side-track.  It  is  3 9-10 
miles  from  here  to 

Huntsville— This  station  was  named 
after  Ex-Governor  Hunt,  of  Colorado,  one 
of  the  earliest  promoters  of  the  road. 

In  rolling  along  up  the  valley  we  have 
passed  the  “ Old  Mother  Coberly  Ranche,” 
on  the  opposite  side  of  the  valley.  A short 
distance  further,  the  site  of  an  old  saw- 
mill appears,  and  a little  further,  near  this 
station  the  old  “Block  House,”  built  in 
June,  1874,  for  protection  against  the 
Indians.  At  that  time  about  560  people 
lived  near  by,  engaged  in  lumbering  and 
freighting. 

Ivan  Cracken,  the  first  country  residence 
of  the  writer,  in  1860,  is  situated  due  east 
from  this  station,  four  miles  distant,  at  the 
head  of  Cherry  Creek  Canyon.  This  domi- 
cile was  constructed  at  the  time  “ the  rocks 
were  rent,”  and  it  is  thought  there  has 
been  little  change  in  the  premises  during 
the  last  1800  years. 

From  our  last  station  the  country  has 
been  very  bluffy ; on  the  left  covered  with 
some  pine  and  scrub  oak  trees.  Eight 
miles  further  brings  us  to  ^ 

Larkspur — but  we  will  not  see  the 
“ lark  ” or  the  “ spur,”  unless  the  latter  is 
a “cowboy,”  and  the  “cattle  on  a thousand 
hills,”  are  larks;  but  one  thing  is  certain, 
when  the  cattle  get  on  a larh  it  requires  a 
great  deal  of  spur  to  overtake  them. 

We  are  now  opposite  Irving  Valley, 


A^SJ)  rA(aFIC  (^OAST  GUIDE.  81 


three  miles  distant  to  the  eastward,  on  the 
headwaters  of  Cherry  Creek.  This  is  a 
lovely  little  valley  about  six  miles  long, 
and  a half-mile  wide,  first  settled  in  1860, 
completely  over-run  by  Indians  in  1864, 
and  some  of  the  settlers  killed ; and  was 
raided  by  Indians,  at  various  times  since, 
until  1870. 

Our  train  is  now  climbing  the  Divide, 
on  a heavy  grade ; the  air  is  pure  and  clear, 
the  country  is  rough  and  broken,  with 
here  and  there  a little  opening ; the  huge 
mountains  rise  high  on  the  right,  but  their 
base  is  five  miles  away,  and  the  long 
timber-marked  water-shed  that  divides  the 
waters  of  the  Platte  from  the  Arkansas 
Valley,  stretches  aw^ay  to  the  east  and  is 
lost  in  the  distance,  extending  100  miles. 

The  next  station — on  paper — is  3 8-10 
miles  further  on,  and  is  called 

Greenland — but  trains  seldom  stop  here. 
A side-track  is  its  chief  feature  of  civiliza- 
tion, but  5 3-8  miles  further  a,  e arrive  at  the 

Divide — Here  is  a postofiice,  called 
Weissport.  A few  miles  before  reaching 
the  station,  on  the  right,  can  be  seen  a long, 
rocky,  castellated  ridge,  like  wdiich  many 
are  to  be  seen  along  the  eastern  base  of 
the  Rocky  Mountains. 

Before  reaching  the  station,  when  looking 
ahead,  the  prospect  of  getting  beyond  the 
mountain  ridge,  which  rises  up,  as  though 
to  bar  our  progress,  is  hopeless— appar- 
ently—but  remembering  that  it  was  this 
company  that  built  their  road  over  the 
Sangre  de  Christo  Mountains,  we  are  con- 
vinced that  with  them,  “all  things  are 
possible”  (in  railroad  building).  In  proof 
of  this  we  climb  to  the  Divide,  turn  to 
the  left,  from  a sharp  mountain  spur;  and 
roll  down  toward  the  great  Arkansas 
Valley. 

Our  course  is  now  more  to  the  eastward, 
with  the  Valley  of  Monuments  and  Mon- 
ument Creek  on  the  right,  and  ahead— al- 
most at  our  feet— Pike’s  Peak. 

Monument— is  the  next  station,  5 3-10 
miles  from  the  Divide.  The  mountains, 
Tar  to  the  right,  show  droppings  of  red 
silndstone,  rising  slab-like  from  its  side 
'several  hundred  feet  in  height. 

At  Monument  there  is  quite  a settlement 
3f  agriculturists,  stock,  and  lumbermen. 
The  village  is  near  the  site  of  the  “Dirty 
Roman’s  Ranche,”  of  1860. 

Downward  rolls  our  train  2 4-10  miles  to 

Borst’s — named  for  the  superintendent 
)f  the  road.  Trains  stop  on  signal.  Cattle 
’anges  ^appear ; long  timber  ridges  are 


seen  on  the  left,  the  same  above  noted.  It 
is  3 6-10  miles  more  to 
Husteds — another  signal  station. 
Passing  on  through  a timbered  and 
rugged  country,  blufiy  and  wild,  crossing 
Monument  Creek  several  times  in  five 
miles,  and  we  come  to 
Edgerton — where  are  piles  of  lumber, 
indicating  saw  mills  near. 

Continuing  down  the  creek,  cattle  and 
sheep  are  numerous,  and  a few  fields  and 
gardens  appear.  Occasionally  on  the  right 
we  catch  a glimpse  of  some  of  those  pe- 
culiar rocks,  which  rise  up  in  places,  in 
this  vicinity,  on  the  sides  of  the  hills,  to 
the  height  of  from  20  to  50  feet.  These 
are  round,  and  from  3 to  10  feet  in  diame- 
ter, surmounted  wdth  a cap,  in  one  case 
resembling  a Spanish  sombrero.  They  are 
called  by  various  names,  but  by  the  gen- 
eral name  of  “Monuments,”  from  which 
this  valley  and  creek  derive  their  names. 
From  Edgerton,  it  is  8 2-10  miles  to 
Colorado  Springs— and  76  miles  from 
Denver.  This  city  was  laid  out  in  July, 
1871,  and  settled  by  the  Fountain  Colony. 
It  is  situated  on  a high,  broad  plateau,  to 
the  east  of,  and  about  one-half  mile 
above  the  junction  of  Monument  Creek 
from  the  north,  with  the  Fountain  Qui 
Bouille,  from  the  west.  This  thriving 
place  is  the  county  seat  of  El  Paso  county, 
and  contains — the  city  proper — a popula- 
tion of  about  2,500,  with  three  miles  sur- 
roundings, giving  about  3,500. 

The  citizens  have  erecied  some  fine 
buildings,  which  include  a college, 
churches,  banks,  schools,  hotels,  and 
many  private  residences.  The  streets 
are  100  feet  broad,  and  the  avenues  150 
feet  in  width,  with  sidewalks  12  feet  wdde. 
Along  the  avenues  rows  of  trees  have  been 
set  out  near  the  sidewalks,  and  little 
streams  of  water  are  rippling  along  beside 
them,  from  the  large  canals  built  by  the 
citizens  for  irrigating  purposes. 

There  are  several  hotels  in  the  city,  chief 
of  which  are  the  Crawford  and  the  Colo- 
rado Springs  Hotel.  Two  papers,  the 
Gazette  and  the  Mountaineer^  greet  the  citi- 
zens weekly.  The  principal  mercantile 
business  of  the  city  is  with  the  mining 
region  of  the  South  Park  and  San  J uan 
country,  via  the  Ute  Pass  wagon-road, 
which  leaves  the  city  for  the  West,  and 
proceeds  up  Fountain  Creek  and  over  the 
mountains  to  the  north  and  w est  of  Pike’s 
Peak. 

Colorado  Springs  has  become  quite 


82 


crofutt’s  new  overland  tourist 


noted  as  a toiirisf  s resort.  The  fine  ac- 
commodations, magnificent  mountain 
views,  the  soda  springs,  the  Garden  of 
the  Gods,  the  petrified  stumps,  the  monu- 
ment towers,  and  the  ramble  around  and  up 
the  mountains — even  to  the  summit  of  the 
towering  old  Pike’s  Peak,  with  an  altitude 
of  over  14,000  feet— all  this  unsurpassed 
scenery  can  be  viewed,  and  visited  with 
convenience  from  the  hotel,  as  carriages 
are  run  at  stated  intervals  to  Manitou,  and 
other  points.  We  will  step  in  to  one  and 
note  what  can  be  seen. 

Colorado  City — is  situated  two  miles 
west,  over  a fine  road,  at  the  base  of  Pike’s 
Peak.  It  was  the  first  settlement  in  the 
“Pike’s  Peak  gold  mines,”  in  1858.  A.t 
one  time  it  had  a population  of  300, 
now  100. 

The  Fountain  Qui  Bouille,  a small 
stream  formed  from  springs  and  melted 
snows  around  the  base  and  upon  the  sum- 
mits of  the  mountain,  supplies  the  town 
with  water,  and  is  also  used  for  irrigating 
purposes,  for  many  miles  below. 

Garden  of  the  Gods — About  two  miles 
west  is  a singularly  wild  and  beautiful 
place,  to  which  some  poetic  individual  has 
given  the  title  which  heads  this  paragraph. 
Two  high  ridges  of  rock  rise  perpendicu- 
larly from  the  valley  to  a height  of  2001eet 
or  more,  but  a few  yards  apart,  forming  a 
lofty  enclosure,  which  embraces  a beautiful 
miniature  valley,  which  seems  to  nestle 
here  away  from  the  gaze  of  the  passer-by 
in  quiet  romantic  grandeur.  For  illustra- 
tion, see  Annex  No.  14. 

Manitou — elevation,  6,321  feet.  These 
famous  springs  are  situated  five  miles 
west  of  Colorado  Springs,  the  city,  at  the 
very  foot  of  Pike’s  Peak,  on  the  north 
side,  in  as  romantic  a little  nook  as  one 
can  conceive.  They  are  six  in  number, 
named:  Manitou,  Navajo,  Ute-Soda,  Sho- 
shone, Iron  Ute,  and  Little  Chief.  Prof. 
Loew,  of  Lieut.  Wheeler’s  exploring  ex- 
pedition, gives  the  analyses  of  the  different 
springs  as  follows : 


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These  springs  are  highly  recommended 
for  their  medicinal  qualities.  The  early 
emigrants  of  1859-60  often  used  the  waters 
of  the  Navajoe  Spring  for  making  bread; 
by  the  addition  of  a little  acid  it  makes  a 
very  fine  article. 

Manitou— in  the  summer,  is  a busy 
town,  of  1,000  or  more  people— all  bent  on 


FIRST  STEAM 


RAILROAD  TRAIN  IN  AMERICA — Sce  Annex  No.  7- 


AND  PACIFIC  COAST  GUIDE.  83 


enjoyment.  Fountain  Creek  ripples 
through  the  place,  along  the  hanks  of 
which  are  many  trees — cottonwood,  pine, 
cedar  and  willow.  Cosey  little  cottages 
peep  out  here  and  there  from  among  the 
trees,  rocks,  and  gulches,  as  though  afraid 
their  secluded  retreat  would  he  discovered. 

There  are  three  large  hotels  at  Manitou 
—besides  several  small  ones.  The  Beebe 
jCan  accommodate  200  guests;  the  ClitF, 
:100 ; while  the  Manitou  House — open  sum- 
mer and  winter,  and  the  pleasantest  in 
point  of  location — has  ample  accommo- 
dations for  full  250  guests. 

From  Manitou,  the  distance  to  the  fol- 
lowing places  are : Garden  of  the  Gods, 
3 1-2  miles ; Glen  Eyrie,  Queen’s  Canyon, 
to  Devil’s  Punch-Bowl,  5 1-2  miles;  to 
Cheyenne  Canyon  and  Seven  Falls,  ten 
miles;  Summit  of  Pike’s  Peak,  nearest 
trail,  ten  miles;  Monument  Park,  with 
Mammoth  Anvil,  Dutch  Wedding,  Vul- 
can’s Workshop  and  Dunce’s  Parliament, 
ten  miles;  Buxton’s  Glen,  Iron  Spring 
and  Ute  Pass,  11-2  miles ; 

To  Billy  Oroat  Ganyon  the  distance  is 
1 1-2  miles.  Those  who  wish  to  hunt  game 
as  is  game,  will  find  that  their  heart’s 
fondest  desire  in  that 
direction  can  be  grati- 
fied in  this  region. 

We  now  return  to 
the  railroad  at  Colo- 
rado Springs,  and  pro- 
ceedto  the  south.  Half- 
-a-mile  south  we  come 
to  Fountain  Qui  Bouil- 
le  Creek,  where  our 
course  changes  to  the 
.eastward,  and  follows 
/along  down  its  north- 
,ern  bank.  In  places 
5 the  blufis  are  close  on 
Aur  left — and  then  some 
^well  - cultivated  fields 
appear  on  either  hand, 
r The  old  Military 
rwagon  road — via  J im’s 
"Camp — Squirrel  Creek 
Divide,  Bussellville  on 
Cherry  Creek,  to  Den- 
■ ^er  — branches  off  to 
:he  north  just  before 
i reaching  the  next  sta- 
I don. 

WiDEFlELD  — 8 8-10 
aiiles  from  Colorado 
Springs.  The  fields 
acre  m'e  wider  than 


we  have  seen  before,  and  better  fenced, 
some  with  wire.  Passing  on  4 6-10  miles, 
we  come  to 

Fountain — here  the  sage  and  brush 
land  shows  the  eftects  of  irrigation.  The 
town  is  a few  hundred  yards  to  our  right, 
contains  about  30  places  of  business  and 
residences,  situated  on  an  elevated  table- 
land, most  of  which  is  under  cultivation. 

Between  the  railroad  and  the  mountains 
on  the  west,  is  spread  out  as  fine  a grazing 
section  of  land  as  there  is  in  the  State,  ex- 
tending southward  100  miles  along  the 
eastern  base  of  the  mountains,  and  from  five 
to  15  miles  in  width.  The  old  wagon  road 
from  Colorado  City  runs  along  the  foot  of 
these  mountains  to  Canyon  City,  25  miles 
distant 

Continuing  down,  the  sand-bluffs  close 
in  on  the  left,  and  our  train  rolls  down 
on  to  the  creek  bottom,  where  the  cotton- 
woods and  willows  are  very  dense,  and 
after  crossing  the  creek,  we  stop  at 

Little  Buttes — Xear  this  station.  Lit- 
tle Fountain  Creek  comes  in  from  the 
west,  upon  which  is  some  fine  forming 
land,  which  produced  abundant  crops  — 
ne'cer failing  a cro'p. 


devil’s  gate,  WEBER  CANYON,  U.  P R.  R, 


84 


ckofutt’s  new  overland  tourist 


The  country  for  the  next  twenty  miles 
is  not  much  improved,  as  it  cannot  be  de- 
pended upon  for  crops  without  irrigating 
them,  and  as  water  is  not  to  be  had,  unless 
w^ells  are  dug  and  wind  mills  used  for  ele- 
vating the  water,  it  will  doubtless  remain 
as  it  is — a stock  range. 

From  Little  Buttes,  it  is  11  5-10  miles  to 

PiNON — a side-track,  and  11  7-10  miles 
further  to 

North  Pueblo— but  passenger  trains 
seldom  stop,  as  the  town  lays  nearer  South 
Pueblo  station  than  the  one  bearing  its 
name-. 

On  the  east  side  of  the  Fountain  is  situ- 
ated East  Pueblo,  reached  by  a bridge  on 
our  left. 

From  North  Pueblo  station,  our  route  is 
along  the  creek,  through  deep  cuts  made 
through  a round  butte,  that  seems  to  rise 
up  in  our  way,  cross  the  track  of  the  Atch- 
ison, Topeka  & Santa  Fe  Railroad,  and  the 
Arkansas  River,  and  a run  from  the  last 
station  ot  2 5-10  miles  brings  the  train  to 

South  Pueblo — This  is  a regular  eating 
station,  where  a full  meal  can  be  had  for 
75  cents. 

As  North  Pueblo  and  South  Pueblo  are 
really  one  city,  separated  only  by  the  Ar- 
kansas River,  we  shall  speak  of  them  as 

Pueblo — This  city  is  located  in  the  rich 
Arkansas  valley,  on  the  Arkansas  River, 
near  its  junction  with  the  Fountain  Qui 
Bouille,  and  contains  about  4,000  inhabi- 
i tants.  It  is  the  county  seat  of  Pueblo 
I county,  and  besides,  the  Denver  & Rio 
; Grande,  is  connected  oy  rail  with  Canyon 
1 City,  43  mih‘"^  to  the  west,  up  the  Arkansas 
River,  and  all  the  Eastern  world,  via  Atch- 
ison, Topeka  & Santa  Fe  Railroad,  down 
the  Arkansas. 

The  county  buildings  are  the  best  in  the 
State;  the  schools  are  good;  church  ac- 
commodations ample.  Pueblo  has  four 
banks,  smelting  works,  a planing  mill, 
rolling  mill,  foundry  and  machine  shop, 
two  flouring  mills,  several  hotels,  and  one 
daily  newspaper — the  Chieftain. 

The  business  of  the  city  is,  to  a great  ex- 
tent, connected  with  the  mining  business  to 
the  west  and  south — San  Juan,  South  Park 
and  the  Cinmerron  regions.  Agriculture — 
along  the  Arkansas  River  and  the  adjacent 
streams — is  very  profitable,  as  the  yield  per 
acre  of  all  kinds  of  small  grains  and  veg- 
etables, is  abundant ; but  above  all  others, 
stock  raising  is  the  most  extensive.  As  a 
range  for  cattle  and  sheep,  Pueblo  and  the 
adjoining  counties,  when  the  mild  winters. 


light  snow  fall,  and  rich  and  nutritious 
bunch  grass  are  considered,  are  par  ex- 
cellent. 

The  flne'water-power  available,  and  these 
broad,  fertile  plains  and  productive  up- 
lands, on  which  roam  so  many  thousand 
sheep,  point  to  the  probable  fact  that 
woolen  manufactories  will  soon  be  estab- 
lished here.  There  is  certainly  a fine  op- 
portunity and  a home  market. 

The  Arkansas  Valley  Division  of  the 
Denver  and  Rio  Grande  railroad,  runs 
from  South  Pueblo,  along  up  on  the  south 
bide  of  the  Arkansas  River,  where  the 
country  traversed  is  almost  wholly  given 
up  to  grazing  purposes.  The  stations,  and 
distances  between  them,  are:  Goodnight, 
4 4-10  miles  from  Pueblo;  Meadows,  4 
6-10  miles  further;  Swallows,  five  miles; 
Carlisle  Springs,  6 5-10  miles ; Beaver  Creek, 
2 7-10  miles;  Laban,  9 2-10  miles;  and 
Coal  Junction,  6-10  miles  further ; making 
33  miles  from  South  Pueblo.  From  the 

Coal  Junction  — a track  branches  ofit 
to  the  coal  banks,  two  miles  distant,  while 
the  main  track  continues  on  7 5-10  miles 
further  to 

Canyon  City— 4034  from  Pueblo. 

This  city  is  the  county  seat  of  Fremont 
county,  situated  at  the  very  gate  of  the 
mountains,  in  a lovely  and  productive  little 
valley,  and  possesses  some  of  the  most  at- 
tractive scenery  in  Colorado.  From  Can- 
yon, it  is  about  12  miles  to  the  “ Grand 
Canyon  of  the  Arkansas,”  the  towering 
walls  of  which  rise  in  places  perpendicular, 
2,000  feet,  between  which  runs  the  Arkan- 
sas River.  Here  is  a grand  view,  that  can 
be  reached  from  the  city,  over  a good 
wagon  road,  through  some  magniflcent 
changing  scenery.  Canyon,  not  to  be  out- 
done, has  secured  a flrst-cla^s  hot  spring, 
which  has  been  “picketed  out,”  about 
one  mile  from  the  city.  The  baths  are 
excellent. 

The  first  settlement  was  made  at  Canyon 
City,  in  the  summer  of  1859,  and  in  1860-1 
some  good  stone  buildings  were  erected, 
and  a great  amount  of'  freight  from  the 
Missouri  River,  destined  for  Tarryall,  Cali- 
fornia Gulch  and  the  Blue,  came  up  the 
Arkansas  route,  and  went  into  the  moun- 
tains, via  Canyon  City.  Then  it  was  that 
prospects  were  bright  for  a big  city  at 
Canyon,  and  corner  lots  advanced,  but  the 
mines— being  all  “placer  mines”  at  that 
time — became  worked  out,  and  Canyon 
declined. 


INTERIOR  VIEW  OF  SNOW  SHEDS  ON  THE  SIERRA  NEVADA  MOUNTAINS. 


Since  the  discovery  of  the  San  Juan 
country  the  city  has  taken  a step  ahead, 
^and  is  now  provided  with  banks,  many 
large  stores,  churches,  schools  hotels,  and 
mndry  other  accomplishments,  including 
■he  State  Penitentiary,  and  two  weekly 
newspapers — the  Times  and  the  Aoahniche. 

■ Stages  leave  Canyon  City  daily  for  Pair- 
'play,  distant  75  miles ; Saguache,  100  miles ; 
Del  Norte,  125  miles;  Lake  City,  200 
;T[iiles. 

Returning  to  Pueblo,  we  are  again  off 
'br  the  south. 

^ Gradually  we  rise  up  out  of  the  river 
oottom,  and  shape  our  course  for  the  Span- 
sh  Peaks,  which  we  can  see  while  70 
niles  away. 

^ San  Carlos — is  the  first  station  on  the 
•)ills,  but  they  all  “i^ass  it”  and  make  for 

■ he 

" Greenhorn — The  first  named  is  nine 
%iles  from  Pueblo,  and  the  second  is  4 5-10 
urther.  St.  Charles  Creek  has  been 
I 


crossed,  also  a broad  prairie  on  which 
graze  thousands  of  cattle  and  sheep. 

The  timbered  country  of  the  Greenhorn 
River  is  on  the  right,  and  soon  our  train 
crosses  the  river  and  stops  at 

Salt  Creek — a side4rack.  To  the 
right  are  some  bold,  high  buttes ; the  high- 
est is  called  “Chinese  Butte.”  Six  miles 
further  is  the  small  side-track  called 
Graneros — but  we  do  not  stop. 

Between  our  train  and  the  mountains 
can  be  seen  the  great  valley  of  the  Green- 
horn, with  the  mountains  of  the  same 
name  rising  from  its  western  border.  The 
next  station  is  ten  miles  distant,  and  is 
called 

Huerfano  — (pronounced  ^'arf-a-no) 
This  station  is  in  the  midst  of  the  best 
grazing  lands  of  Southern  Colorado 
Leaving  th  ' station,  we  cross  the  river,  and 
cross  a high,  undulating  prairie— bluffy  in 
places — for  13  miles  to 

CucHARA  — (pronounced  Q-charr-us) 


86  crofutt’s  new  overland  tourist 


This  station  is  the  junction  of  the  El  Morp 
Branch,  49  miles  south  of  Pueblo,  169 
miles  from  Denver,  37  miles  from  El 
Moro  and  100  miles  from  Garland. 

Let  us  now  “change  cars”  and,  while 
taking  a run,  note  the  results. 

Crossing  the  Cuchara  River,  and  on, 
over  a broad  prairie — with  the  Spanish 
Peaks  on  our  right — 10  6-10  miles  bring 
us  to 

Santa  Clara — on  the  creek  of  that 
name.  Just  9 4-10  miles  further  is 

Apishapa — a small  side-track  on  the 
river  of  the  same  name.  Then,  over  a 
broad  plain,  9 4-10  miles,  is 

Chicosa— and  7 3-10  miles  more  bring 
us  to 

El  Moro— the  end  of  the  track.  This 
place  is  one  destined  to  be  a point  of  great 
importance.  It  is  situated  on  a plain  near 
the  eastern  base  of  the  Raton  Mountains, 
and  although  the  town  was  laid  out  in  the 
spring  of  1876,  it  now  has  a population  of 
over  700,  and  is  doing  a large  and  rapidly 
increasing  business.  The  forwarding  of 
goods  for  the  southern  country  is  one  that 
centers  a large  amount  of  business  at  this 
new  town ; and  stores,  hotels,  restaurants 
and  shops  of  all  kinds  are  springing  up 
daily.  A bank  has  been  established,  and  a 
newspaper  soon  will  be. 

Near  the  town  is  located  extensive  coal 
mines.  One  vein  that  is  now  being 
worked  is  a horizontal  14-foot  vein,  so  situ- 
ated that  cars  are  run  to  the  mouth  of  the 
mine  and  the  coal  is  dumped,  by  a shute, 
into  the  cars.  One  great  feature  of  this 
coal  is  its  adaptability  for  coking. 

The  railroad  hauled  away  from  El  Moro 
during  the  year  1877,  700  tons  of  coke; 
some  was  shipped  as  far  as  Salt  Lake  City, 
to  be  used  in  the  smelting  of  ores,  but  the 
greater  portion  was  taken  to  the  furnaces 
at  Black  Hawk,  Golden  and  Boulder. 

There  are  now  in  operation  32  coking 
ovens— and  still  the  demand  exceeds  the 
supply. 

Prof.  Gardner,  of  the  U.  S.  Geological 
Survey,  made  a number  of  careful  experi- 
ments with  this  coal  in  1875,  and  as  a re- 
sult of  his  tests  in  reverberatory  furnaces, 
he  says : 

I “ In  a few  minutes  both  furnaces  were  en- 
I veloped  in  a sheet  of  burning  gases,  that 
I went  roaring  up  the  flues.  Heat  became 
I so  intense  that  the  ores  had  to  be  pulled 
I back  to  the  chimneys,  for  that  left  near  the 
I bridge  melted  down  and  ran  like  water. 
The  flame  and  great  heating  power  were 


now  too  evident  to  be  mistaken.” 

El  Moro  is  86  miles  from  Pueblo,  206 
miles  from  Denver,  five  miles  north  of 
Trinidad,  65  miles  to  Cimerron,  105 
miles  to  Fort  Union,  150  miles  to  Las 
Vegas,  and  205  miles  to  Santa  Fe.  Stages 
run  daily  to  the  last  four  named  places ; 
fare  averages  15  cents  per  mile. 

Trinidad — the  county  seat  of  Las  Ani- 
mas county — is  five  miles  south  of  El 
Moro,  and  is  an  old  settled  place;  the 
greater  proportion  of  the  people  are  of 
Spanish  or  Mexican  descent;  stock  rais- 
ing is  the  principal  source  of  income. 
Coal  mines  are  extensive— but  until  a rail- 
road is  built  to  the  town  the  demand  can- 
not extend  beyond  home  consumption. 

Returning  to  Cuchara,  “ change  cars,” 
and  we  are  ofl'  again — this  time  up  the 
west  bank  of  Cuchara  River. 

Walsens — is  the  first  station — 6 7-10 
miles  from  Cuchara.  It  is  tastefully  laid 
out — having  been  settled  by  a colony  of 
Germans,  who  are  engaged  in  agriculture 
and  ^stock  raising.  From  this  the  grade 
will  ^be  heavy,  until  we  reach  the  summit 
of  the  mountain. 

In  passing  along  up  the  creek,  it  will 
be  observed  that  all  the  settlers  are  Mex- 
icans or  Spanish,  and  they  observe  all  the 
old  customs  of  Spanish  countries,  particu- 
larly in  their  cultivation  of  the  soil.  They 
ignore  the  usual  implements  of  husbandry 
to  a great  extent.  They  tickle  the  ground 
with  a wooden  plow ; cut  their  grain  with 
hand  knives;  thrash  it  out  with  goats, 
clean  in  the  wind  by  dropping  it  to  the 
ground  from  an  elevated  position  when 
the  wind  is  blowing.  Then  when  the 
grain  is  gathered  and  cleaned  it  is  pounded 
to  a powder  between  large  flat  stones. 
Goats  and  sheep  are  their  stock  in  trade. 
Their  houses  are  of  adobe,  or,  at  best,  logs 
—and  the  number  of  children  is  only 
equaled  by  the  number  of  dogs ; but  all 
seem  happy,  and  we  are  inclined  to  say 

with  the  poet : 

Rustic  ease  and  true  content 
Are  in  this  valley  sweetly  blent— 

And  comfort  smiles,  and  plenty  reigns ; 

Here  peace  has  undisturbed  domains ; 

And  here  a rural,  peaceful  race 
Has  found  a fair  abiding  place; 

Its  homes  and  plazas,  simple,  rude. 

The  walls  of  stately  pine  trees  hewed. 

Or  rough  adobes,  crudely  piled. 

The  roofs  with  “ dirt”  securely  tiled. 

Are  primitive,  and  cool  and  warm. 

Secure  against  the  winter’s  storm. 

And  ’gainst  the  sun’s  devouring  rays 
When  with  the  summer’s  heat  ablaze.” 

that  is  tlie  first  poetry  T ever 


AND  PACIFIC  COAST  GUIDE. 


87 


quoted  in  my  life, 
and  if  the  reader 
will  excuse  me  this 
time,  I will  swear 
never  to  he  caught 
doing  so  again.] 

Wahatoya  — is 
the  next  station, 
and  a very  appro- 
priate one  it  is.  It 
is  6 9-10  miles 
south  of  Walsens. 

To  the  left,  after  _ 
leaving  the  station,  ^ 
a beautiful  view  ^ 
can  he  had  of  the 
Spanish  Peaks.  The 
altitude  of  the  east 
peak  is  12,720  feet; 
that  of  the  west  peak 
is  13,620  feet.  Con- 
tinuing a little  far- 
ther, we  have  a fine 
view  of  Yeta  and 
the  Sangre  de  Chris- 
to Mountains  on  the 
right.  From  ^ the 
last  station  it  is 
8 2-10  miles  to 
La V ETA — The  first 
settler  in  this  sec- 
tion of  country  was  Col.  Francisco,  a Span- 
ish gentleman  who  came  to  La  Yeta  19 
years  ago,  and  huilt  the  house  that  he 
now  lives  in. 

La  Yeta  is  situated  at  an  elevation  of 
6,970  feet,  on  the  south  branch  of  Cuchara 
Creek,  at  the  northern  base  of  the  moun- 
tains, with  the  Spanish  or  “Twin Peaks” 
as  immediate  back-ground.  The  popula- 
tion is  about  300.  It  boasts  of  some  good 
buildings— a postofiice,  a grist  mill,  and, 
if  reports  are  true,  good  prospects  for  the 
future,  as  well  as  gr»at  present  expecta- 
tions. 

It  is  reported  that  a silver  mine  has 
been  discovered  near,  producing  ore  that 
mills  $118  per  ton;  100  claims  have  been 
staked;  copper  is  also  a late  discovery,  and 
coal  seven  miles  west,  on  Middle  Creek, 
and  White  Sulphur  Springs,  five  miles 
south. 

At  La  Yeta  all  extra  cars  are  left  behind, 
an  extra  locomotiv^e  is  added,  and  the 
train  starts  out  on  an  average  grade  of  2 1 1 
feet  to  the  mile,  for  21  1-2  miles-  In  some 
places  the  grade  is  much  higher,  but  the 
passenger  need  not  fear,  as  the  road  is  well 
built,  the  ties  are  close  together  and  double 


OVERLAND  PONY  EXPRESS — SEE  ANNEX  NO.  3I. 

spiked — the  engines  and  cars  first-class, 
while  the  road-bed  is  blasted  from  the 
mountain  side,  making  it  as  solid  as  the 
everlasting  hills  upon  which  it  rests. 

Leaving  La  Yeta,  our  course  is  almost 
due  west,  winding  up  Middle  Creek,  and 
then  on  to  a high  plateau  and  up  Yeta 
Creek. 

As  the  train  leaves  the  station  at  La 
Yeta,  the  old  Sangre  de  Christo  wagon  road, 
— stage  road — can  be  seen  on  the  left, 
where  it  winds  around  the  side  of  the 
mountain.  Continuing  on  up  the  creek, 
eight  miles  from  the  station,  we  arrive  at 
Ojo— At  this  side-track,  by  looking  di- 
rectly ahead,  away  up  on  the  top  of  a round 
flat-topped  mountain — called  “Dump” 
Mountain  apparently  some  great  for- 
tress— can  be  seen  a lone  tree  in  the 
center.  Now,  notice  the  long  reddish 
line  encircling  that  mountain  near  its  top. 
Do  you  see  it?  That  is  our  road,  and  there, 
in  front  of  that  low  tree,  we  will  be  in  half 
an  hour,  looking  down  at  this  station. 

Again  we  proceed.  Look ! on  your 
right,  away  up — there!  That  peak  is 
Yeta  Mountain,  11,512  feet  above  the  level 
of  the  sea.  Up ! up  we  go ! Keep  your  eye 


88 


crofutt’s  new  overland  tourist 


to  the  left ! See ! There  is  the  road — can 
we  ever  get  up  there?  We  are  turning. 
The  gorge  narrows  and  darkens  for  2 8-10 
miles,  and  we  are  at  the  great 

Mule  Shoe — We  have  run  up  on  one 
side  of  the  “shoe,”  now  we  will  turn  to  the 
left  and  roll  around  the  toe  of  the  shoe,  and 
around  on  the  other  side.  Now  we  look 
down  on  our  left,  and  the  higher  we  go, 
the  grander  the  view.  Onward — upward. 
Ah,  we  have  it!  Now  look  away  down 
that  little,  narrow  valle}  , and  see  little  Ojo 
station,  where  we  stood  only  a few  minutes 
ago,  and  looked  looked  at  the  tree  first 
— then  located  our  present  position. 

Stop  a moment  and  take  a look  around. 
The  illustration  on  page  47  shows  our 
train  in  Abata  Canyon,  going  up  to  the 
Mule  Shoe  from  Ojo  and  then  curving 
around  and  nearing  the  summit  of  “Dump” 
Mountain.  “ Oid  Veta,”  just  to  the  north, 
across  the  chasm,  has  “come  down  a peg” 
— is  not  as  high. 

The  Spanish  Peaks,  now  look  low—'  he- 
neath  our  noticei’''  Hist!  but  isn’t  the  air 
pure?  Before  leaving  this  point,  let  us 
take  another  look  around.  To  the  east- 
ward, Ojo;  further,  La  Veta;  a little  to  the 
right,  the  Spanish  Peaks ; then  a sweep 
around  to  the  left  a little,  the  broad  plains, 
stretching  away  in  the  dim  haze  of  the  dis- 
tance; to  the  north,  an  awful  chasm,  740 
feet  deep;  then  Veta  Mountain  rises  up, 
and  bars  our  vision.  To  the  westward  an 
occasional  mountain  peak  peeps  out  above 
the  growth  of  pines  in  the  foreground, 
while  all  around  us  are  pine  and  spiuce  in 
the  ravines,  and  away  up  the  mountain  to 
the  “ timber  line,  usually  about  10,000  feet, 
above  which  they  stand  uncovered^  before 
their  Maker — except,  possibly,  by  a mantle 
of  purity — the  frost  of  winter. 

But  we  have  not  had  a look  to  the 
south,  and  must  climb  higher,  first. 

Our  course  is  now  to  the  right,  and  fol- 
lows around  the  mountain  to  the  south — 
up,  around  the  head  of  a deep  ravine,  to 
the  left ; up  again,  we  curve  around  the 
head  of  another,  and  then  another— ever 
upward — but  the  chasms  and  ravines  are 
decreasing.  Another  turn,  and  we  are  at 
the 

Summit  OP  Veta  Pass — 9,339  feet  above 
the  level  of  the  sea ; 1,097  feet  higher  than 
any  other  railroad  track  in  North  America 
—the  second  in  height  in  the  world. 

The  weight  of  the  engine  that  hauled 
our  train  up  this  mountain  is  34  tons. 

This  station  is  situated  in  a grove  of 


timber  which  obstructs  the  view,  to  a 
great  extent;  but  those  who  have  the  time 
to  stop,  could  take  a walk  along  the  sum- 
mit to  the  eastward,  about  one  mile,  where 
the  best  view  can  be  obtained. 

The  canyon  up  which  our  train  came,  to 
the  turn  of  the  Mule  Shoe,  is  called  Abata 
Canyon,  and  the  old  wagon  road  which  we 
crossed  over  on  a bridge,  at  the  curve,  was 
the  “Abata  & Sangie  de  Christo  ” toll 
road. 

The  only  building  on  the  Summit  is  the 
station,  which  is  built  of  stone. 

Leaving  the  Summit,  our  train  will  de- 
scend on  the  south  for  seven  miles,  on  as 
heavy  grade  as  when  climbing  up  the 
northern  slope. 

On  the  route  down  the  mountain  to  Gar- 
land, 15  miles,  there  is  little  of  interest. 
There  are  several  saw  mills,  and  timber  on 
each  side  of  a long  ravine,  down  which 
our  train  rolls,  passing  the  following  side- 
tracks ; 1 9-10  miles  to  Sangre  de  Christo  ; 
5 1-10  miles  further  to  Placer  ; 3 9-10 
miles  more  to  Wagon  Creek;  and  3 5-10 
additional  to 

Garland — ^This  station  is  only  an  im- 
portant one  while  it  is  the  end  of  the 
track:  when  the  road  is  extended  Gar- 
land will  evaporate.  Now,  March  1st, 
1878,  it  has  a population  of  1,500,  some 
good  stocks  of  goods  in  town,  numerous 
hotels  and  restaurants,  saloons  and  “va- 
rieties”— not  enough  figures.  The  Pratt  is 
the  principal  hotel. 

Stages  leave  daily  for  Castilla,  40  miles ; 
Taos,  88  miles ; also  to  Del  Norte,  67  miles, 
fare  $10;  Lake  City,  155  miles,  fare  $25; 
Santa  Fe,  155  miles,fare  $30 — fare  less  on 
through  tickets.  An  immense  amount  of 
freight  is  shipped  on  wagons  from  Gar- 
land to  the  mining  region  to  the  west  and 
south. 

We  will  now  return  to  Denver,  and  take 
our  seat  in  the  cars  on  the 

Denver  Pacific  Railroad. 

This  road  is  now  owned  and  operated 
by  the  Kansas  Pacific  Railroad  Company. 

In  the  fall  of  1867,  this  company 
was  organized  at  Denver  City,  Colo- 
rado, the  object  of  which  was  to 
connect  the  city  by  rail  and  telegraph 
lines  with  the  Union  Pacific  railroad 
at  Cheyenne.  The  distance  to  be 
overcome  was  106  miles,  through  a coun- 
try possessing  no  serious  obstacles,  and 
many  favorable  inducements  to  the  enter- 
prise. For  a part  ot  the  way,  the  country 


AND  PACIFIC  COAST  GUIDE. 


89 


along  and  for  some  distance  on  either  side 
of  the  line  is  a rich  farming  section,  the 
. remainder  of  the  road  being  through  cele- 
bramd  grazing  lands.  The  desire  to  open 
up  this  rich  region,  to  connect  the  city  of 
Denver  with  the  trans-continental  railroad, 
by  which  to  afford  a way  for  cheap  and 
fast  freight  and  rapid  transit  of  passengers, 
induced  the  people  of  Colorado  to  take 
I hold  of  the  s heme,  when  proposed,  with 
commendable  zeal  and  alacrity.  Sub- 
scriptions for  about  one-fourth  the  amount 
of  money  required  were  made  in  a few 
! days,  and  the  county  bonds  of  Arapaho 
county  were  almost  unanimously  voted  to 
the  amount  of  $500,000,  and  work  com- 
menced. 

The  road  was  completed  to  Evans  early 
in  the  fall  of  1869,  and  to  Denver  the  24th 
I day  of  June,  1870. 

! During  the  spring  of  1872,  this  road  was 
sold  to  the  Kansas  Pacific  Railroad  Com- 
pany, which  enables  that  company  to  con- 
trol a through  line  from  Kansas  City,  Mo., 
to  Cheyenne.  Distance,  743  miles,  where 
a junction  is  made  with  the  Union  Pacific 
railroad. 

Leaving  Denver,  our  course  is  north- 
ward, along  down  the  east  bank  of  the 
Platte  River,  for  18  miles,  to 

Hughes — The  country  is  almost  wholly 
given  up  to  grazing — except  on  the  low 
bottom  land,  and  at  such  places  where 
water  can  be  had  for  irrigating. 

At  Hughes,  the  Boulder  Valley  railroad 
— previously  alluded  to — branches  off  to 
the  westward. 

Johnson — is  the  next  station  from 
Hughes,  14  miles  distant,  and  16  miles  far- 
ther brings  us  to 

Evans — the  county  seat  of  Weld  coun- 
ty. This  is  the  headquarters  of  the  St. 
Louis  Western  colony  and  the  New  Eng- 
land colony ; population  about  900.  The 
J ournal^  a weekly  paper,  is  published  here. 
Evans  is  fully  provided  with  churches, 
schools  and  most  of  the  modern  improve- 
ments. 

Soon  after  leaving  Evans  we  cross  the 
Platte  River,  and  four  miles  farther  come  to 

Greeley — This  town  was  laid  out  in 
May,  1870,  by  the  Greeley  colony,  under 
the  fostering  care  of  the  late  Hon.  Horace 
Greeley,  of  the  New  York  Tribune.  The  col- 
ony control  about  100,000  acres  of  as  fine  land 
as  can  be  found  in  the  Territory.  Exi  ensive 
irrigating  ditches  have  been  “taken  out,” 
and  water  from  the  Cache  a la  Poudre 
River  furnishes  ample  water  for  all  pur- 


poses. This  town  has  increased  rapidly ; 
population  nearly  2,000,  with  ample 
churches,  hotels,  schools,  etc.  The  Gree- 
ley Tribune  and  the  Sun,  weeklies,  are 
published  here.  One  noted  and  glorious 
feature  of  the  place  is  the  absence  of  all 
intoxicating  drink.  It’s  tough  on  the  “ old 
soakers,”  who  now  have  to  “ pack  in  ” 
their  “nips  ” on  the  sly,  or  be  sick  and  get 
a doctor  to  give  a prescription ; but  it  is 
said  that  Greeley  abounds  in  doctors  and 
druggists. 

Leaving  Greeley,  we  cross  the  valley  of 
the  Cache  a la  Poudre  and  follow  up 
Lone  Tree  Creek,  14  miles,  to 

Pierce — situated  in  the  midst  of  the 
best  grazing  lands.  Prom  here,  it  is  20 
miles  to 

Cass — This  is  a mere  side  track,  at  the 
upper  crossing  of  Lone  Tree;  then  ten 
miles  brings  us  to  the 

Summit— a side-track — on  the  top  of 
the  ridge,  ten  miles  from  Cheyenne — which 
we  reach  after  crossing  Crow  Creek — a 
distance  from  Denver  to  Cheyenne  of  106 
miles. 

With  this  sketch  of  Colorado,  short  and 
imperfect,  because  it  is  impossible  to  do 
justice  to  this  country,  we  take  our  leave 
of  it,  and  returning  to  the  Pacific  railroad, 
start  once  more  for  the  West. 

Cheyenne — Just  in  the  border  of  the 
city,  we  cross  Crow  Creek,  on  a Howe 
truss  bridge — one  of  the  best  on  the  road. 
We  leave  the  creek  and  follow  up  the  bed 
of  a small  dry  ravine.  About  two  miles 
from  the  city — by  looking  to  the  right, 
northward — a fine  view  can  be  had  of  Fort 
Davy  Russell,  previously  described.  We 
are  now  ascending  the  eastern  slope  of  the 
southern  range,  of  the  Black  Hills  of  Wy- 
oming, which  are  stretching  away  in  a long 
rugged  line  before  us. 

if  azard — six  miles  west  of  Cheyenne, 
is  the  first  station  we  reach,  and  the  j unc- 
tion of  the  Colorado  Central  railroad. 
The  track  turns  off  at  the  left  of  the  sta- 
tion, and  crosses  the  prairie  and  hills  tO'  the 
southward — as  described  on  our  route  to 
Colorado.  At  Hazard,  the  traveler  going 
East,  can  obtain  a view  of  Cheyenne  and 
Fort  Davy  Russell — the  former  directly 
ahead,  and  the  latter  a little  to  the  left  of 
his  train. 

Otto — is  8 2-10  miles  farther  west,  where 
passenger  trains  from  the  East  and  West 
usually  meet,  stop  for  a few  moments,  to 
exchange  letters  and  papers,  then  pass  on 


QQ  crofutt’s  new  overland  tourist 

— one  going  East  for  light,  the  other  West 
for  knowledge. 

We  are  now  6,724  feet  above  the  sea,  and 
the  traveler  should  note  the  rapid  rise 
made  from  this  point,  in  surmounting  the 
Black  Hills.  Here  the  heavy  grading 
commences,  and  snow  fences  will  be  nu- 
merous till  we  get  over  the  “ Hills.”  To 
the  north  of  this  place,  at  the  base  of  the 
Hills,  is  a fine  valley,  where  Crow  Creek 
finds  its  source  in  many  fine  springs.  The 
valley  contains  very  superior  grazing 
land,  and  in  conjunction  with  the  adja- 
cent hills,  affords  ample  game  for  the 
hunter. 

Fifteen  miles  from  this  station,  to  the 
north,  at  the  eastern  entrance  of  Cheyenne 
Pass,  is  the  site  of  old  Fort  Walbach, 
now  deserted.  Near  this  fort  are  the  head 
waters  of  Lodge  Pole  Creek. 

Oranite  Canyon— is  five  miles  west 
of  Otto,  and  574  feet  higher.  At  this  point 
are  extensive  stone  quarries,  whence  was 
taken  the  rock  for  the  company’s  build- 
ings  in  Cheyenne,  also  for  the  stone  ware- 
houses. Limestone  abounds  in  this  vicin- 
ity, and  many  kilns  have  been  erected.  To 
the  left  of  the  road,  and  down  the  canyon 
a few  hundred  yards,  is  a fine  spring,  from 
whence  the  water  is  elevated  to  the  tank 
by  the  roadside.  Half  a mile  to  the  south 
are  a number  of  fine  springs,  which — with 
others  to  the  westward — are  the  head-wa- 
ters  of  Lone  Tree  Creek,  a tributary  of  the 
South  Platte  River.  Along  the  road  now 
is  heavy  rock-work,  and  on  the  exposed 
portions  of  the  road  may  be  seen  the  snow- 
sheds  and  snow-fences,  built  of  plank  or 
stone. 

Buford— is  a small  side-track,  6 9-10 
miles  further.  Heavy  rock-work,  and 
snow-sheds  and  fences  mark  the  road. 
Water  for  the  station  is  elevated  from 
springs  down  the  ravine,  on  the  southward. 

The  country  here  presents  a wild,  rug- 
ged and  grand  apearance.  The  level 
ground  or  little  valleys  are  covered  with  a 

1 fine  coat  of  buffalo  grass,  and  now  and 

1 then  clumps  of  stunted  pine  appear  by 
the  roadside.  On  either  hand,  nearby, 
high,  bold  masses  of  granite  rear  their 
gray  sides,  piled  one  on  the  other,  in  wild 
confusion.  Up,  up,  still  higher,  in  the 
background  are  the  rocky,  pine-clad  peaks 
of  the  Black  Hills.  The  scene  is  pecu- 
liarly impressive  as  we  near  Sherman, 
especially  if  it  chances  to  be  one  of  those 
days  when  the  clouds  float  low  down  the 
horizon ; then  the  traveler  looks  over  the 

intervening  space  between  him  and  the 
mountain  range  beyond,  and  sees  naught 
but  floating  masses  of  vapor;  no  moun- 
tains, no  valley,  no  forest,  only  these  fleecy 
shapes,  and  a long,  dark  line  rising  above 
them,  o’ertopped  bv  the  glistening  sides  of 
Long’s  Peak.  The  altitude  gained,  we 
see  on  the  north  side  of  the  road,a  sign- 
board—“Summit  of  the  Mountains;”  then 
seem  to  move  along  a level  plain,  covered 
with  grass,  rocks  and  shrubs,  until  we 
reach 

Slid*iM8lu — Eight  thousand  two  hundved 
and  forty-two  feet  above  the  level  of  the  sea. 

It  is  named  in  honor  of  General  Sherman, 
the  tallest  general  in  the  service.  This 
station  is  549  miles  from  Omaha  and  l,ob5 
from  San  Francisco.  ^ ^ -x 

Sherman,  as  a town,  is  not  noted  tor  its 
size.  The  trains  stop  here  but  a few  min- 
utes. The  company’s  buildings  consist  of 
a comfortable  station,  a small  repair  shop, 
and  a round-house  of  five  stalls.  A post- 
office,  telegraph  and  express  offices,  one 
store,  two  hotels,  two  saloons,  and  about 
twenty  houses  of  all  sorts,  constitute  the 

town.  , . -r 

Seventy  miles  to  the  southwest  is  ® 

Peak,  and  165  miles  to  the  south  is  Pike  s 
Peak,  both  plainly  visible.  To  the  north- 
west,  about  100  miles  distant,  is  Elk  Moun- 
tain, another  noted  land-mark.  The  maxi- 
mum grade  from  Cheyenne  to  Sherman  is 
88.176  feet  per  mile.  The  freight  taken  on 
at  this  station  for  the  East  and  West  is 
quite  extensive,  consisting  of  sawed  lum- 
ber, telegraph  poles,  and  wood  obtamecl  m 
the  hills  and  ravines  but  a few  miles  dis- 
tant to  the  northward.  On  many  of  these 
hills,  and  in  the  canyons,  are  a 

dense  growth  of  hard  spruce  pui®>  "s^ich, 
as  to  quality  and  adaptabi  ity  for  being 
dressed,  resembles  the  hemlock  of  the 
Eastern  States. 

The  winters  are  not  as  severe  at  Sherman 
as  many  think,  neither  is  the  snow-fall  as 
deep  as  many  would  suppose  frora  seeing 
the  great  number  of  snow-sheds  and  f ences ; 
snow  seldom  falls  more  than  a few  inches 
in  depth.  It  is  not  the  depth  of  snow  that 
causes  any  inconvenience  to  the  working 
of  the  road,  but  it  is  the  drifting  of  it  into 
the  cuts  during  the  heavy  winds  I or  the 
purpose  of  preventing  this,  the  sbeds 
fences  and  walls  are  erected  along  the 
road,  the  latter  a few  rods  away  from  the 
banks  of  the  cuts.  The  fences  cause  an 
eddy  or  current  of  air,  which  piles  the 
snow  along  in  huge  drifts,  keeping  it,  in  a 

AND  PACIFIC  COAST  GUIDE. 


91 


great  measure,  from  the  track.  Snow-sheds 
cover  the  deepest  cuts  along  the  road, 
where  obstructions  from  the  snow  are  most 
likely  to  occur.  The  cold  rains  and  deep- 
est snows  come  with  an  east  wind ; the 
worst  storms  come  from  the  southwest. 

The  thermometer  at  Sherman  ranges 
from  82  deg.  Fahrenheit,  in  the  summer, 
to  30  deg.  below  zero  in  winter.  Springs 
of  sparkling  water  are  numerous  in  the 
surrounding  country,  and  form  many 
small  streams  which  wind  their  way 
among  rocks  and  through  gorges  until 
they  are  lost  in  the  waters  of  other  streams. 

At  this  elevated  point,  the  tourist,  if  his 
“ wind  is  good,”  can  spend  a long  time 
pleasantly  in  wandering  amid  some  of  the 
wildest,  grandest  scenes  to  be  found  on  the 
continent.  There  are  places  where  the 
rocks  rise  higher,  where  the  chasms  are 
far  deeper,  where  the  surrounding  peaks 
may  be  loftier,  and  the  torrents  might 
ier  in  their  power,  and  still  they  do  not 


possess  such  power  over  the  mind  of  man 
as  does  the  wild,  desolate-looking  land- 
scape around  Sherman.  Although  the 
plateau  is  covered  with  grass,  and  occa- 
sional shrubs  and  stunted  trees  greet  the 
eye,  the  surrounding  bleakness  and  deso- 
lation render  this  place  one  of  awful  gran- 
deur. The  hand  of  Him  who  rules  the 
universe  is  nowhere  else  more  marked,  and 
in  no  place  will  the  tourist  feel  so  utterly 
alone,  so  completely  isolated  from  man- 
kind, and  left  entirely  with  nature,  as  at 
Sherman,  on  the  Black  Hills  of  Wyoming. 

At  the  first  the  tourist  experiences  much 
difficulty  in  breathing,  the  extreme  light- 
ness of  the  air  trying  the  lungs  to  their  ut- 
most capacity,  but  becoming  accustomed 
to  the  change,  and  inhaling  long  draughts 
of  the  pure  mountain  air,  will  greatly  pre- 
fer it  to  a heavier  atmosphere. 

Fish  and  Game — There  is  no  spot  along 
the  line  of  road  which  can  be  compared  to 
the  locality  around  Sherman  for  trout  fish- 


PALISADES  of  the  HUMBOLDT  RIVER,  C.  P.  R.R. 


92  ckofutt’s  new  overland  tourist 


ing.  The  tiniest  rivulets  swarm  with  them, 
and  their  speckled  sides  glisten  in  every 
eddy.  They  weigh  from  one-fourth  to  two 
pounds,  and  their  flesh  is  as  hard  and 
white  as  that  of  the  mountain  trout  of 
Vermont 

Antelope,  elk,  black-tailed  deer,  bear, 
sage  hens  and  grouse  abound  in  the  hills 
and  on  the  plateaus.  The  angler,  hunter, 
or  tourist  should  never  pass  Sherman  with- 
out pausing  long  enough  to  fly  a hook  and 
try  his  rifle.  Doubtless  this  point  will  be- 
come a favorite  summer  resort  for  travelers, 
when  the  hotel  accommodations  are  such 
as  to  entice  them  to  remain,  as  it  possesses 
eminent  attractions  for  hunting  and  fishing. 

From  Sherman  to  Rawlin’s,  160  miles, 
the  road  runs  between  the  Black  Hills  and 
the  Rocky  Mountain  range,  presenting 
varied  and  impressive  scenery  at  various 
points. 

Leaving  Sherman,  the  road  turns  to  the 
left,  and  passes  through  several  long  snow- 
sheds  and  deep  rock  cuts  to 

Dale  Creek  Bridge — Dale  Creek  is  a 
noted  stream,  although  a small  one,  and 
should  have  a noted  bridge — as  it  has. 
When  the  road  was  being  constructed  over 
these  hills,  in  1867,  the  railroad  company 
built  a plated  wooden  frame-work  structure 
650  feet  long,  from  blufl'  to  bluff  and  126 
feet  high.  The  bridge  stood  on  trestles, 
interlaced  with  each  other,  and  securely 
corded  together  and  stayed  by  wire  cables, 
secured  to,  and  sloping  from,  the  bridge  on 
each  side  to  substantial  anchorage,  down 
into  the  valley  below,  presenting  a light 
and  graceful  appearance  when  viewed 
from  the  creek  below.  This  old  bridge 
was  replaced  in  1877  by  one  of  iron,  of 
similar  dimensions,  built  in  the  most  sub- 
stantial manner — see  illustration,  page  49. 

From  the  bridge,  the  beautiful  little 
stream  looks  like  a silver  thread  below  us, 
the  sun  glistening  its  surface  with  a thou- 
sand flashes  of  silvery  light.  Anon,  the 
dark  walls  of  the  canyon  shade  it,  as 
though  they  were  envious  or  jealous  of  its 
beauty  being  rendered  common  property. 
A narrow,  green  valley,  half  a mile  above 
the  bridge,  is  the  site  of  the  former 
Dale  City,  where,  at  one  time,  were 
over  600  inhabit  ints.  Now,  a few  hundred 
yards  above  the  bridge,  can  be  seen  a soli- 
tary house — like  a lone  sentinel  in  front  of 
a deserted  camp.  Here,  too,  as  well  as 
around  Sherman,  and  all  over  the  Black 
Hills,  are  found  countless  flowers  of  every 


variety  and  hue,  over  300  varieties  of  which 
have  been  classified. 

Virginia  Dale — is  situated  fifteen  miles 
southwest  of  Sherman,  in  Colorado,  at  the 
head  of  a deep  gorge,  on  Dale  Creek,  near 
the  Cache-a-la  Poudre  River.  On  the  east 
side  of  the  canyon,  the  wall  of  overhanging 
rock  rises  about  600  feet  high,  for  a mile 
along  the  stream,  giving  a wild  and  pictur- 
esque beauty,  a sublimity  and  grandeur 
to  the  scene,  rarely  surpassed.  This  point 
is  called  the  “Lover’s  Leap,”  though  we 
never  learned  that  any  one  ever  leaped  ofl'; 
but  if  the  leap  was  made,  we  judge  that 
the  jar  on  alighting  in  the  valley,  600  feet 
below,  must  have  knocked  all  the  love, 
romance  or  sentiment  out  of  those  making 
it.  In  and  around  this  place  are  numerous 
dells,  grottoes,  gorges,  canyons,  precipices, 
towering  peaks  and  rugged  recesses, 
enough  to  employ  the  tourist  for  some 
time  in  examining  their  beauties. 

Some  “yellow-covered  novelist”  has 
immortalized  Virginia  Dale,  by  calling  it 
the  “Robbers’  Roost,”  though  failing  to 
inform  us  what  they  roosted  on.  But 
aside  from  this  questionable  honor,  Virginia 
Dale  is  the  most  widely  known  and  cele- 
brated of  any  locality  in  these  mountains. 
There  are  a few  good  buildings  around  the 
place,  where  excursionists,  who  visit  to 
enjoy  the  scenery,  mountain  air,  and  rare 
fishing  and  hunting,  are  provided  for. 

See  Annex,  No  10. 

We  now  return  to  the  railroad,  cross  the 
bridge,  and  turn  away  to  the  northward, 
through  long  snow-sheds  and  rocky  cuts, 
made  through  red  sandstone,  six  miles  to 

Tie  This  station  is  important 

only  in  the  tact  of  its  being  a point  where 
great  quantities  of  ties  and  wood  are 
brought  to  the  railroad  from  the  hills  to 
the  northward.  The  view  to  the  south 
is  that  of  a very  broken  and  rugged  coun- 
try. To  the  west,  the  southern  end  of 
the  great  Laramie  Plains  is  spread  out, 
almost  at  our  feet,  twenty  miles  in  width, 
with  the  wondrous  Rocky  Mountains  ris- 
ing from  its  western  border,  range  upon 
range,  peak  overlapping  peak,  away  up, 
up  into  the  regions  of  perpetual  snow, 
over  one  hundred  miles  away. 

Our  train  is  descending  rapidly,  and 
more  to  the  northward ; steam  is  no  longer 
required — only  brakes.  Onward,  4 1-10 
miles,  through  snow-sheds  and  deep  exca- 
vations, brings  us  to 

unimportant  station. 
Passing  on,  to  tlie  left  can  be  seen  the  old 


AND  PACIFIC  COAST  GUIDE. 


93 


CROSSING  THE  RANGE  ON  SNOW  SKATES-SEE  ANNEX  NO.  32 


Denver  and  Salt  Lake  stage  road,  the  tele- 
graph marking  the  line  for  some  distance 
along  the  railroad.  On  the  right  hand,  the 
whole  valley  has  been  fenced  in  for 
grazing  purposes. 

The  next  station  is  4 1-2  miles,  denomi- 
nated 

Red  Rutter — This  locality  derived 
its  name  from  several  ridges  and  peculiar 
formations  of  sandstone  lying  between  the 
railroad  and  the  Black  Hills  on  the  right. 

Many  of  these  sandstones  rear  their 
peaks  from  500  to  1,000  feet  above  the 
plain,  apparently  worn  and  washed  by  the 
elements,  into  wild,  fantastic  shapes  and 
grotesque  figures.  Rocks  which,  at  a dis- 
tance, might  be  taken  for  castles,  rise  side 
by  side  with  the  wall  of  an  immense  fort ; 
churches  rear  their  roofs,  almost  shading 
the  lowly  cottage  by  their  side;  columns, 
monuments  and  pyramids  are  mixed  up 
with  themselves  and  each  other,  as  though 
some  malignant  power  had  carried  off 


some  mighty  city  ot  the  olden  time,  and,  j 
wearying  of  his  booty,  had  thrown  it  down 
upon  these  plains,  without  much  regard 
to  the  order  in  which  the  buildings  were 
placed. 

Some  few  only  of  these  curiosities,  can  be 
seen  from  the  car  windows,  and  those  are 
not  the  largest.  The  tourist,  by  stopping 
over  a day  or  two  at  Laramie,  would  find 
much  of  interest  in  this  section  of  the 
country. 

The  Laramie  River  rises  about  50  miles 
to  the  southwest  from  Red  Buttes,  on  the 
eastern  slope  of  the  mountains — its  source 
being  composed  of  almost  innumerable 
springs.  Its  general  course  is  northeast 
for  200  miles,  when  it  empties  into  the 
North  Platte  River  at  Fort  Laramie. 

During  the  building  of  the  road,  thou-  i 
sands  of  ties  were  floated  down  to  Lp'a- 
mie,  and  thence  hauled  along  the  line. 

The  supply  of  timber  in  this  region  is  ^ 
as  near  inexhaustible  as  can  well  be  im- 


94 


CROFUTT  S NEW  OVERLAND  TOURIST 


agincd,  where  forests  do  not  recover  from 
the  cutting.  There  will  be  no  second 
growth  here ; when  once  cut  off,  it  is  gone 
forever.  Saw  mills  will  find  employment 
for  many  generations,  ere  they  can  lay 
bare  these  mountains. 

Fort  Sanders— six  and  a half  miles 
from  Ked  Buttes,  is  a railroad  station,  for 
the  military  post  of  Fort  Sanders,  situated 
on  the  east  side  of  the  railroad,  close  to 
the  track,  and  in  plain  view  for  miles  in 
every  direction.  The  buildings  are  princi- 
pally of  logs,  several  of  stone,  and  one  an 


ordinary  frame — the  headquarters. 

This  post  was  established  June  23d, 
1866,  by  two  companies  of  the  Third  Bat- 
talion, U.  S.  Infantry,  under  command  of 
Brevet  Lieutenant-Colonel  H.  M.  Mizner, 
Captain  18th  Infantry.  Latitude  41  deg, 
13  min.  4 sec.  (observation),  longitude  105 
deg.  40  min.  (approximate.) 

Two  and  a-half  miles  farther  on — rolling 
over  a broad  prairie,  twenty-five  miles  in 
width — we  arrive  at  the  end  of  the  ‘^Moun- 
tain Division”  of  the  road — Laramie. 


LARAMIE  DIVISION. 

LARAMIE  TO  GREEN  RIVER. 


S.  T.  Shankland,  Division  Superintendent. 


WEST  FROM  OMAHA. 


Daily 

Emigrant. 


Daily 
Express 
1st  & 2d  cl’s 


10:20 
10:55 
11:30 
12:20 
1:10 
1:50 
2:35 
3:20 
4:10 
4:45 
5:40 
6:15 
6:40 
7:10 
7:50 
8:30 
9:00 
9:50 
11:10  i 
11:50 
12:25 
1:10 
1:55 
2:35 
3:15 
4:00 
4:40 
5:15 
5:40 
6:05  ' 
6:45 
7:10 
7:40 
8:05 
8:35 
9:15 
9:45 
10:35 
11:50  i 


p m 


p m 


;60 
;18 
:35 
;02 
:30 
:55 
:40  t 
:05 
:30 
:50 
:20 
:42 
.57 
:15 
:35 
:58 
15 
:40 
:15 
35 
:55 
17 
:45 
:10 
:32 
:00 
:25 
:45 
:00 
:15 
:40 
:55 
10 
22 
:40 
:00 
;15 
:40 
;25  t 


p m 


HA. 

LARAMIE  TIME. 

EAST  FROM  CALIFORNIA. 

Distance 

from 

Omaha 

STATIONS, 

Elevati’n 

Daily 
Express 
1st  & 2d  cl’s 

Daily 

Emigrant. 

,.573 

Lv *laRAMIE Av 

...7123.. 

11:30  am 

2:00 

581 

....7090.. 

11:02 

1:25 

588 

^Wyoming..  

....7068.. 

10:45 

12:50 

602...  . 

*uooper’s  Lake 

....7044.. 

10:18 

12:05  p m 

606 

* Lookout 

...  7169.. 

9:55 

11:25 

. 614 

*Miser 

....6810.. 

9:27 

10:35 

,.623 

*Rock  Creek 

...  6690.. 

9:00  t 

9:40 

*fi30*.** . 

Wilcox 

....7033.. 

8:20 

8:40 

638. . 

*Como 

...6680.. 

8:00 

8:00 

645  ... 

^Medicine  Bow 

....6550.. 

7:40 

7:00 

6.56 

*Carbon 

....6750.. 

7:12 

6:10 

*662  ..  . 

Simpson 

....6898.. 

6:55 

5:05 

669 

* Percy 

....6950.. 

6:10 

4:40 

675 

Dana 

....6875.. 

6:20 

4:05 

680  . . 

*St.  Mary’s 

....6751.. 

5:58 

3:25 

688 

Wolcott 

....6800.. 

5:33 

2:40 

..694 

.Fort  Steele 

....6840.. 

5:15 

2:10 

702. 

Grennville 

....6560.. 

4:50 

1:25 

. 709 

...6732.. 

4:30 

12:50  am 

716...  . 

Summit  ,.... 

. ..6821 

3:55 

11 :35  t 

723...  . 

^Separation 

...  6900. 

3:25 

11:45 

730  ..  . 

Fillmore 

. ..6885, 

3:00 

10:10 

737 

^Creston 

....  7030  . 

2:40 

9:35 

**744 

Latham 

...6900,. 

2:10 

8:45 

752 

*Wa8h-a-kie 

....6697.. 

1:40 

8:05 

761  . . 

*Red  Desert 

....6710.. 

1:10 

7:20 

. 768 

Tipton 

....6800. 

12:50 

6:45 

775. .. 

* Table  Rock 

..  .6890.. 

12:25 

6:05 

780 

....6785. 

12:05  am 

5:40 

785 

*Bitt^  Creek 

...  6685.. 

11:50 

5:05 

* 794 

*Black  Buttes 

-...6600.. 

11:25 

4:20 

798...  . 

Hallville 

....6590.. 

11:10 

3:50 

805  .. 

*Point  of  Rocks 

....6490.. 

10:55 

3:20 

810 

Thaver 

....6425.. 

10:40 

3:00 

817 

*salt  Wells 

....6360.. 

10:25 

2:25 

825 

Baxter 

....6300.. 

10:02 

1:45 

! 831.. .! ! 

*Rock  Springs  

....6280.. 

9:45 

1:25 

839  . 

Lawrence 

....6200.. 

9:15 

12:35  p m 

..845.... 

Ar....*GREEN  RIVER Lv 

....6140.. 

9:00  t 

12:00  noon 

t Meals.  * Telegraph. 


AND  PACIFIC  COAST  GUIDE.  95 


liaramie  City  — the  enterprising 
county  seat  of  Laramie  county,  has  wonder- 
fully improved  within  the  last  few  years. 
It  has  a population  of  4,000,  and  is  regu- 
larly laid  out,  at  right  angles  with  the 
road.  A stream  of  clear,  cold  water, 
which  rises  in  a spring  a few  miles  to  the 
eastward,  runs  through  the  principal 
streets;  the  buildings  are  small  and  mostly 
i of  wood  with  a few  substantial  structures 
of  stone.  The  spirit  of  improvement  is 
manifested,  on  every  hand,  which  has  re- 
cently completed  numerous  stores,  hotels, 

! banks,  churches,  schools,  dwellings,  and 
other  buildings,  including  a court-house 
and  jail.  Trees  line  many  of  the  streets, 
and  present  a cheerful  and  home-like  ap- 
pearance ; in  fact,  most  of  the  Laramie 
residents  are  here  to  stay,  and  are  deter- 
; mined  to  make  it  the  “Boss  ” city  of  the 
Plains. 

Laramie  was  many  years  after  the  com- 
pletion ot  the  road,  a regular  eating  sta- 
tion for  passenger  trains  from  the  East  and 
West.  The  meals  were  served  in  the  com- 
pany’s large  and  commodious  hotel — in 
front  of  which  the  cars  stop — but  cir- 
cumstances made  it  necessary  to  establish 
the  eating  house  farther  to  the  northward, 
and  it  is  now  at  Kock  Creek,  51  miles  dis- 
tant. The  Sentinel,  a daily  and  weekly 
paper,  is  published  here. 

Rolling  Mill — During  the  year  of 
1874,  the  Railroad  Company  erected  a roll- 
ing mill  at  this  place,  at  a cost  of  $127,- 
500.  It  is  situated  to  the  right  of  the  road 
a short  distance  north  of  the  station.  The 
mill  is  in  operation  night  and  day,  re-roll- 
ing  old  rails  and  other  heavy  work. 

The  company’s  division  shops  are  also 
located  here.  They  are  of  stone  obtained 
from  Rock  Creek,  50  miles  distant  to  the 
northward.  The  round-house  contains  20 
stalls.  The  machine  shop  is  used  for  gen- 
eral repairing,  and  contains  all  the  neces- 
sary machinery  of  a first-class  shop. 

The  railroad  was  completed  to  this  point 
June  18th,  1868,  and  for  some  months 
Laramie  was  known  as  the  “ end  of  the 
track,”  which  at  that  time  meant  that  it 
was  not  only  the  place  from  which  all 
freight  and  supplies  for  the  West  were 
hauled  on  wagons — but  it  was  the  center 
for  all  the  gamblers,  roughs  and  abomina- 
I tions  which  followed  the  building  of  the 
road. 

Directly  to  the  east  of  this  place  can  be 
seen  the  Cheyenne  Pass  wagon  road — the 
old  emigrant  route — which  crosses  the 


plain  and  river  half  a mile  below  the 
city,  running  northwest  to  the  base  of  the 
mountains,  parallel  with  the  railroad. 

Woman  Jury — Laramie  was  the  first 
place  in  America — or  in  the  world  even — 
where  a female  jury  was  empaneled. 
Their  first  case  was  that  of  a Western  des- 
perado, and  there  was  no  flinching  from 
duty  on  the  part  of  the  “weaker  sex.” 
Before  bringing  in  their  verdict,  they  in- 
voked the  divine  guidance — while  their 
nurses  calmed  the  rising  generation  by 
singing, 

“ Nice  little  baby,  don’t  get  in  a fury, 

’Cause  mamma’s  gone  to  sit  on  the  jury.” 

“Tricks  that  are  vain” — Curious 
passengers  will  note  from  this  city  west 
the  railroad  laborers — section  hands — are 
all  Chinamen  ; they  are  said  to  be  very 
reliable ; and,  as  they  don’t  drink  whisky, 
the  saloons  along  the  line  are  getting  al- 
most as  scarce  as  the  grasshoppers  and 
mice.  The  saloon-men  are  all  “ anti- 
Chinese.” 

Laramie  Plains — comprise  a belt  of 
fine  grazing  lands  about  25  miles 
wide  by  60  long,  and  is  considered  one  of 
the  best  locations  for  stock-raising  in  this 
section  of  the  country. 

The  remarks  made  about  the  grazing 
lands  elsewhere  will  well  apply  to  this  sec- 
tion. Beef  can  be  raised  and  fattened  on 
these  plains  at  an  expense  not  exceeding 
the  cost  of  such  cattle  in  Texas,  where,  as 
every  one  knows,  they  raise  themselves 
and  form  the  larger  half  of  the  population. 
The  peculiar  feature  of  these  grasses  are 
similar  to  those  already  described.  The 
plains  are  higher,  and  frost  make  s its  ap- 
pearance earlier  in  the  fall,  but  the  grass 
is  cured  by  the  summer  sun  before  its  ar- 
rival, so  that  the  cold  weather  does  not  in- 
jure it.  We  need  only  to  mention  the 
well-known  fact  that  thousands  of  buffalo 
roamed  over  these  plains,  furnishing  the 
Indians  with  unlimited  quantities  of  beef, 
before  the  white  man  drove  them  away,  to 
convince  any  one  that  the  laudations  of 
this,  as  a grazing  country,  are  not  exagger- 
ated or  wild  ideas  of  enthusiasts,  but  sim- 
ple facts,  substantiated  by  past  and  present 
experience. 

Stock-raising  is  now  almost  the  only  in- 
dustry noticeable,  and  a great  many  thou- 
sand head  of  cattle,  sheep  and  horses  can 
be  seen  in  almost  any  direction.  It  is 
computed  that  there  are  at  this  time  over 
90,000  head  of  cattle,  85,000  head  ot 
sheep,  and  3,000  horses  and  mules 


9G  ckofutt’s  new  overland  tourist 

within  40  miles  of  Laramie,  valued  at 
$2,250,000.  In  1867,  there  couldn’t  be 
found  in  the  same  section  500  head  of  all 
kinds— all  told.  Agriculture  is  not  profit- 
able, yet  they  have  demonstrated  that  some 
of  the  hardy  vegetables  can  be  cultivated 
with  success  on  the  bottom  lands. 

Items  op  Interest — Crystal  Lake  is 
about  40  miles  to  the  westward  of  Lara- 
mie. Sheep  Mountain — one  of  the  peaks 
in  the  Rocky  Mountain  range — rears  its 
head  for  12,000  feet  above  the  sea.  Should 
the  tourist  desire  to  visit  the  place,  he  will 
find  the  road  beyond  the  plains  rough, 
and  the  ascent  toilsome.  Before  begin- 
ning the  ascent  of  the  mountains  we  enter 
one  of  the  grandest  forests  in  the  country. 
For  ten  miles  we  toil  on  through  the  for- 
est, which  is  so  dense  that  the  sunlight 
hardly  penetrates,  and  the  silence  is  almost 
oppressive.  Bears,  mountain  lions,  and 
the  mountain  sheep  range  here;  their 
haunts,  until  lately,  never  having  been  in- 
vaded by  the  pale  face.  Emerging  from 
this  gloom  into  the  fair  sunlight,  we  find 
ourselves  on  the  highest  point  of  the  moun- 
tain, from  which  we  can  look  over  piles  of 
fleecy  clouds  floating  below  us  to  other 
ranges  far  beyond.  Beak  on  peak,  ridge 
on  ridge,  they  ascend,  until  their  snow- 
clad  heights  are  lost  in  the  distance,  or  in 
the  vast  blue  dome  above. 

Looking  downward,  we  behold  a vast 
succession  of  dark  ridges  and  grey  peaks 
through  the  rifts  in  the  fog-like  vapor 
floating  above  them.  These  dark  ridges 
derive  their  sombre  hue  from  the  foresis 
of  pine,  which  extend  for  miles  and  miles 
in  all  directions.  To  the  east  we  see  a 
deep  indentation  in  the  mountains,  which  is 
Laramie  Plains.  Across  this  apparently 
narrow  line,  the  rugged  masses  of  the 
Black  Hills  rise  in  their  grandeur,  their 
black  crests  closing  the  scene. 

Turn  now  to  the  immediate  landscape. 
Here  is  a green,  grassy  lawn,  dotted  with 
tiny  flowers,  of  varieties  such  as  we  never 
before  beheld,  or  ever  read  of,  and  right 
before  us,  in  the  center  of  this  lawn,  lies  a 
circular  lake  nearly  a mile  wide ; its  clear, 
soft,  cold  water  glistening  in  the  rays  of 
the  sun,  and  reflecting,  as  in  a mirror,  every 
object  on  its  banks,  transforming  them 
into  many  fantastic  shapes,  as  the  breeze 
lovingly  kisses  the  silver  surface,  lifting 
it  into  little  ripples. 

The  scene  is  one  of  unsurpassed  loveli- 
ness immediately  around  you  while  the 
view  in  the  distance  is  grand,  aye,  sub- 

lime — beyond  the  power  of  words  to  de- 
pict. Whoever  visits  this  place  cannot 
fail  of  being  impressed  with  its  wonderous 
beauty,  and  his  mind  will  take  newer  and 
clearer  impressions  of  the  pow’^er  of  “Him 
who  hath  created  all  things.” 

The  Snowy  Range — the  great  backbone 
of  the  continent — is  covered  with  snow  for  a 
great  part  of  the  season ; the  highest  peaks 
ever  wearing  their  white  robes,  even  when 
the  passes  are  covered  with  flowers.  This 
renders  them  very  conspicuous  and  easily 
discerned  at  a great  distance.  Hence  the 
term  “ Snowy  Range.” 

Characteristics  op  the  Country — In 
general  descriptions  we  speak  of  Laramie 
Plains  as  including  all  the  country  lying 
between  the  western  base  of  the  Black 
Hills  and  the  eastern  base  of  the  Rocky 
Mountains — a grand  park,  similar  in  for- 
mation to  the  great  parks  of  Colorado, 
though  of  much  less  altitude.  These 
“ parks  ” are  immense  bodies  of  table 
lands,  enclosed  by  the  peaks  and  ridges 
of  the  surrounding  mountains,  sheltered 
by  them  from  the  cold  winds,  watered  by 
them  from  the  never-failing  streams  which 
flow  from  gorges  and  canyons  among 
these  peaks,  from  which  the  snow  is  never 
absent.  The  average  elevation  of  the  Lar- 
amie Plains  or  park  is  about  6,500  feet, 
though  where  Laramie  City  stands  it  is 
more.  The  Black  Hill  ranges  of  the  Rocky 
Mountains  form  the  eastern  and  northern 
boundary  of  the  “ Plains.”  This  range 
extends  nearly  due  north  to  Laramie  Peak, 
about  150  miles,  thence  west,  terminating 
in  the  Seminole  Mountains.  On  the  south, 
the  park  or  plain  is  bordered  by  the  Rocky 
Mountains,  which  here  reach  an  elevation 
of  from  10,000  to  13,000  feet  above  the  sea 
— snow-capped  always.  To  the  altitude  of 
from  8,000  to  9,000  feet,  these  slopes  are 
covered  with  dense  pine  forests. 

In  the  mountains  to  the  westward,  in 
North  Park,  Douglass,  and  other  creeks, 
rich  mines  of  gold,  silver,  copper,  and 
nearly  all  the  known  metals  have  been  dis- 
covered, and  in  several  cases,  worked  to  ad- 
vantage. The  Keystone  is  reported  to  be  a 
very  rich  mine,  the  owners  of  which  are 
taking  out  the  ore  and  piling  it  up,  to  await 
the  arrival  of  a stamp  mill  which  will  be 
put  up  in  a few  months.  Undoubtedly 
there  are  vast  regions  tributary  to  Laramie 
equally  well-stored  with  mineral  deposits, 
that  have  never  been  prospected  or  visited 
by  the  white  men. 

On  the  norlhwest  from  out  the  Elk 

AND  PACIFIC  COAST  GUIDE. 


97 


Mountains,  juts  the  Rattlesnake  Range,  ex- 
tending north  to  the  North  Platte,  carrying 
an  elevation  of  nearly  8,000  feet. 

Through  the  western  range,  the  North 
Platte  canyons,  and,  on  the  east,  the  Medi- 
cine Bow  River  cuts  through  the  eastern 
range,  separating  it  from  the  foot-hills  of 
the  northerly  range  of  the  Black  Hills. 
Through  the  plains  flow  the  Big  and  Little 
Laramie  Rivers,  which,  as  we  before  stated, 
rise  in  the  mountains  which  border  the 
western  rim  of  the  plains.  These  streams 
canyon  through  the  Black  Hills  north  of 
Laramie  Peak,  and  enter  the  North  Platte 
near  Fort  Laramie. 

Rock  Creek  rises  east  of  Medicine  Bow, 
and  after  flowing  north  to  about  latitude 
42  degs.  flows  west  and  empties  into  the 
Medicine  Bow.  This  river  rises  in  Medi- 
cine Bow  Mountains,  and  flows  north  to 
about  the  same  latitude  as  Rock  Creek, 
thence  west,  and  canyons  through  the  Rat- 
tlesnake range  of  hills,  entering  the  North 
Platte  about  150  miles  northwest  of  Lara- 
mie City,  in  latitude  42  deg.  3 min. 

By  this  showing  it  will  be  observed  that 
the  immense  park,  or  Laramie  Plains,  is 
well  watered — sufflcienfly  for  grazing  and 
irrigation.  We  have  been  more  explicit, 
have  dwelt  longer  on  these  points  than  we 
should  have  done,  did  we  not  feel  a desire 
to  show  to  the  emigrant,  or  to  those  who 
are  seeking  good  locations  for  grazing 
lands,  that  the  Laramie  Plains  possess 
these  advantages  in  an  eminent  degree. 
We  have  wandered  far  away  from  the 
plains  in  our  descriptions,  but  the  grazing 
lands  end  not  with  the  plains.  The  moun- 
tain sides,  until  the  timber  belt  is  reached, 
the  valleys,  blufls,  and  foot-hills,  all  pre- 
sent the  same  feature  in  point  of  luxuriant 
crops  of  grass.  The  valleys  of  the  streams 
mentioned  also  contain  thousands  of  acres 
of  meadow  land,  where  hay  can  be  cut  in 
abundance,  and,  if  the  season  will  permit, 
wheat,  barley  and  rye  might  be  grown  to 
advantage,  the  soil  being  a black  loam, 
and  sufficiently  moist  to  insure  good  crops 
without  irrigation. 

Fish  and  Game — Trout — the  finest  in 
the  world — can  be  found  in  every  moun- 
tain stream,  while  every  variety  of  game 
ranges  over  the  mountains,  hills  valleys 
and  plains  in  countless  numbers. 

With  these  general  remarks,  we  will  re- 
turn to  Laramie,  and  proceed  on  our  jour- 
ney. Soon  after  leaving  the  city,  we  cross 
the  Laramie  River,  and  eight  miles  brings 
us  to 


Mowell’s — an  unimportant  station, 
where  passenger  trains  seldom  stop.  It  is 
then  7 6-10  miles  to 

— on  the  Little  Laramie 
River.  During  the  building  of  the  road 
large  quantities  of  ties  were  received  at 
this  point,  which  were  cut  at  the  head  of 
the  river  and  floated  down  the  stream  in 
high  water.  The  country  is  a broad  prai- 
rie. At  the  station  we  crossed  Little  Lara- 
mie, a small  stream  which  rises  in  the 
mountains  to  the  westward  and  empties 
into  Laramie  River.  The  same  might  be 
said  of  Whiskey  Creek,  a small  stream 
which  is  crossed  next.  To  the  next  station 
it  is  8 7-10  miles. 

Cooper  Ijake— Near  the  station,  to 
the  westward,  lies  a beautiful  sheet  of  wa- 
ter, about  two  miles  long  by  half-a-mile 
wide,  called  Cooper’s  Lake. 

liOokoiit — a station  with  an  altitude 
of  7,169  feet — is  8 7-10  miles  from  Cooper 
Lake.  We  are  now  entering  the  rolling 
prairie  country,  where,  for  25  miles  either 
way  along  the  road,  vast  herds  of  elk, 
deer  and  antelope  are  found  at  different 
seasons  of  the  year — the  elk  being  mostly 
found  in  the  winter,  when  the  snow  drives 
them  from  the  mountains.  We  also  begin 
to  find  occasional  bunches  of  sage-brush, 
which  tell  us  that  we  have  entered  the 
country  where  this  more  useful  than  orna- 
mental shrub  abounds.  Occasionally  we 
pass  through  cuts  and  over  low  fills,  by 
snow-fences,  and  through  snow-sheds,  the 
country  growing  rougher  as  we  pass  along 
8 3-10  miles  to 

Miser  ^^tation— Sage-brush  is  the 
rule.  Just  before  reaching  the  station,  we 
pass  through  a very  deep  cut — one  of  the 
deepest  on  the  road — where  a little  spur  of 
the  bluffs  rises  abruptly  from  the  plains, 
right  in  the  way  of  the  road.  Just  before 
reaching  the  next  station,  we  cross  Rock 
Creek,  towards  the  head  of  which  is  good 
trout  fishing.  It  is  9 7-10  miles  to 

Mock  Creek — a small  station,  situ- 
ated on  a small  creek  of  the  same  name. 
[See  description  of  Rock  Creek  on  proceed- 
ing pages.]  This  is  a regular  eating  sta- 
tion ; trains  from  the  East  stop  for  supper, 
from  the  West  for  breakfast — 30  minutes 
are  allowed.  The  company  have  erected  a 
very  commodious  house  here,  on  the  right 
hand  side  of  the  track,  and  those  who  fur- 
nish meals  to  the  passengers  have  reached 
a very  high  point  of  excellence  in  the  art, 
and  appear  attentive  to  the  wants  of  their 
guests.  The  dining  room  is  very  tastefully 


I- 


crofutt’s  new  overland  tourist 


98 


decorated,  and  everything  looks  clean  and 
cheerful — one  that  we  are  pleased  to  recom- 
mend—and  hope  we  will  always  he  war- 
ranted in  doing  so. 

Leaving  the  station,  our  course  now  lies 
to  the  eastward ; the  train  winds  around 
the  spurs  of  the  hlulfs,  which  seem  to  bar 
our  way  by  interlocking  with  each  other, 
on  through  a rough,  rolling  country,  again 
turning  to  the  westward,  over  briages  and 
fills,  through  cuts  and  snow-sheds,  for  7 
7-10  miles  to 

"Wilcox — an  unimportant  station,  and 
we  continue  crossing  creeks  and  ravines 
for  7 9-10  miles  more,  of  difficult  engineer- 
ing and  middling  heavy  road-work,  and 
arrive  at 

Como  — another  unimportant  little 
place.  Soon  after  passing  the  station  we 
come  to  Como  Lake,  a beautiful  little 
sheet  of  water,  lying  to  the  right  of  the 
road.  It  is  about  one  mile  long  and  half- 
a-mile  wide,  and  contains  a peculiar  fish, 
a “ fish  with  legs.”  These  fish-animals 
possess  gills  something  like  a cat-fish;  are 
amphibious,  being  often  found  crawling 
clumsily  around  on  land,  miles  from  the 
lake.  Quite  a variety  of  peculiar  fossil 
shells  are  found  around  the  lake  that  are 
gathered  in  summer  by  persons  who  off'er 
them  tor  sale  to  the  tourists. 

Medicine  Bow  River — is  crossed  a few 
miles  after  leaving  Como.  It  rises  in  the 
Medicine  Bow  Mountains,  as  before  stated, 
and  empties  its  waters  into  the  North 
Platte  River. 

This  river  was  long  a noted  resort  for 
Indians,  and  several  treaties  have  been 
made  on  its  banks  between  the  “ noble  red 
men”  and  their  pale-faced  “brothers.” 
The  valley  of  the  river,  above  the  railroad, 
for  thirty  miles  or  more,  is  broad,  fine  bot- 
tom-land, until  it  reaches  the  base  of  the 
mountain.  From  thence  to  its  source  the 
course  of  the  river  is  through  immense 
forests  of  pine,  which  present  unrivaled 
facilities  for  lumbering.  Fish  are  found 
in  great  quantities  in  the  stream,  and  the 
various  kinds  of  game  which  abound  in 
this  country  are  found  in  the  mountains 
where  the  river  has  its  source.  Soon  after 
crossing  the  river,  and  7 1-10  miles  from 
Como,  we  come  to 

Medicine  Bow— containing  several 
stores,  and  saloons,  freight  house,  passen- 
ger station,  and  a five-stall  round-house. 

Leaving  this  station,  the  road  is  laid 
over  a smooth,  level  plain,  for  about  five 
miles,  when  it  enters  a rough,  hilly,  sage- 


brush country.  The  train  winding  around 
through  deep  cuts  and  long  snow-sheds, 
for  4 2-10  miles  further,  stops  at 

Carbon— Here  was  discovered  the 
first  coal  on  the  Union  Pacific  R.R.  Two 
banks  or  coal  veins  have  been  opened,  the 
veins  averaging  about  ten  feet.  This  coal 
is  used  principally  I'y  the  Railroad  Com- 
pany, for  their  locomotives — the  quality 
not  being  so  good  for  domestic  purposes 
as  that  mined  further  to  the  west,  at  Rock 
Springs  and  Evanston.  During  the  year 
1877,  these  mines  produced  80,000  tons. 

The  coal  is  raised  from  the  mine  and 
dumped  into  the  fiat-cars,  while  standing 
on  the  track— the  shaft  of  the  mine  being 
between  the  main  and  side  track,  close  to 
the  station;  a stationary  engine  furnish- 
ing the  hoisting  power.  Another  shaft  is 
to  the  south  of  the  town,  a short  distance, 
reached  by  a railtrack. 

Carbon  contains  a population  of  about 
800,  and  is  the  county  seat  of  Carbon  coun- 
ty, which  contains  a population  of  about 
2,000— most  of  whom  are  engaged  in  stock- 
raising. 

Simpson— a small,  unimportant  side- 
track, is  reached  seven  miles  from  Carbon, 
after  passing  through  a succession  of  cuts, 
many  of  which  are  covered  with  snow- 
sheds.  Passenger  cars  do  not  stop.  The 
road  now  curves  around,  and  runs  almost 
due  west  for  50  miles.  To  the  next  sta- 
tion it  is  4 6-10  miles. 

Per^— The  station  was  named  for 
Percy  "U  Brown,  an  engineer  who  was 
killed  by  the  Indians,  while  employed  sur- 
veying the  line. 

During  the  construction  of  the  road, 
this  was  an  important  station.  Ties,  tele- 
graph poles,  wood  and  bridge  timber,  were 
landed  at  this  point  in  immense  quantities. 

They  were  obtained  at  Elk  Mountain, 
seven  miles  to  the  south.  The  old  stage 
road  winds  around  the  base  of  the  moun- 
tain, between  that  and  the  railroad.  Near 
the  foot  of  the  mountain,  old  Fort  Halleck 
and  one  of  the  most  important  stations  of 
the  Overland  Stage  Company,  were  located ; 
both  are  now  abandoned. 

Elk  Mountain — is  a noted,  landmark, 
and  quite  a curiosity  in  its  way.  It  rises 
to  a great  height,  its  top  being  covered 
with  snow  a great  portion  of  the  year, 
and  at  any  time  snow  can  be  found  in 
places  on  the  summit.  It  has  the  appear- 
ance of  being  an  isolated  peak,  though, 
really,  it  is  the  extreme  northern  spur  of 
the  Medicine  Bow  Mountains.  It  is,  how- 


AND  PACIFIC  COAST  GUIDE. 


99 


SEALS  AND  SEA  LIONS  AT  FARALLONES  ISLANDS,  BELOW  SAN  FRANCISCO. 


ever,  surrounded  by  rolling  prairie  land, 
and  seems  to  rise  boldly  from  it,  rough, 
rugged  and  alone.  On  the  west  side,  the 
summit  is  easily  reached  by  a good  road, 
made  by  the  lumbermen.  The  mountain 
is  nearly  round,  about  six  miles  in  diame- 
ter at  its  base.  Its  sides  are  covered  with 
dense  forests  of  pine,  aspen  and  hemlock. 
It  is  worthy  of  note,  that  this  is  the  only 
point  where  the  latter  species  of  timber 
is  found  along  the  line  of  the  road.  It 
grows  in  profusion  with  the  spruce  in  the 
gorges,  near  the  summit. 

To  the  south  is  a fine  valley,  about  15 
miles  wide  and  20  miles  long.  Pass  Creek, 
which  rises  in  the  Medicine  Bow  Moun- 
tains, runs  through  this  valley  on  its 
way  to  the  North  Platte  River.  Large 


quantities  of  hay  are  cut  in  the  bottom 
lands  along  the  creek.  This  stream,  like 
all  others  which  rise  in  this  range,  is  full 
of  fine  trout  and  other  fish.  Antelope 
abound  on  the  plain,  with  elk,  deer,  bears 
and  mountain  sheep,  while  mountain  lions 
find  their  homes  in  the  dark  ravines  and 
gloomy  gorges  of  the  mountain. 

riana — is  an  unimportant  station  6 
ITO  miles  west  of  Percy.  From  Percy  to 
the  North  Platte  River,  29  miles,  the  road 
is  built  down  the  valley  of  an  alkali  ravine. 
Sage-brush  and  stagnant  pools  of  alkali 
water  are  the  only  objects  that  greet  the 
eye — an  unpleasant  greeting,  it  must  be 
confessed. 

Mary’s— is  7 5-10  miles  from 
Dana.  Soon*^after  leaving  the  station,  our 


100 


orofutt’s  new  overland  tourist 


train  enters  the  ravine,  where  the  hlufls  as- 
sume more  formidable  features;  in  fact, 
the  ravine  becomes  a gorge,  the  rugged 
spurs  shooting  out  as  though  they  would 
reach  the  opposite  wall,  and  bar  out  farther 
progress.  The  first  one  of  these  spurs  does 
indeed  bar  our  way,  or  did  until  a tunnel 
was  completed.  Before  this  tunnel  was 
finished,  the  company  laid  the  road  around 
the  point  of  the  spur  on  a temporary  track. 
Emerging  from  the  tunnel,  the  train  rushes 
down  the  gorge,  the  wall  now  rising  close, 
abrupt  and  high,  on  either  hand,  and  17  8-10 
miles  from  St.  Mary’s  we  arrive  at  and 
pass 

Wolcot’s — an  unimportant  station. 
Down,  down  we  go — the  rough  spurs 
point  out  from  either  wall  of  the  canyon, 
an  indenture  in  one  bank  marking  a pro- 
jection on  the  other.  While  looking  on 
this  scene,  one  cannot  help  fancying  that 
one  time  this  chasm  was  not ; that  some 
fearful  convulsion  of  nature  rent  the 
mighty  rocks  in  twain,  leaving  these  rag- 
ged walls  and  fetid  pools  to  attest  the  fact. 
Suddenly  we  whirl  out  of  the  mouth  of 
this  chasm — out  on  the  level  lands  of  the 
North  Platte  River — cross  a substantial 
wooden  bridge,  and  stop  at 

Fort  Fred,  ^iteele— 5 8-10  miles 
west  of  Wolcot’s;  elevation,  6,840  feet. 

This  fort  was  established  June  30th, 
1868,  by  four  companies  of  the  30th  In- 
fantry, under  command  of  Brevet  Col.  R. 
I.  Dodge,  Major  30th  Infantry.  When  the 
posts  in  the  Powder  River  country  were 
abandoned,  the  great  bulk  of  the  military 
stores  were  hauled  to  this  place  and  stored 
for  future  use. 

About  two  miles  west  of  Fort  Steele 
formerly  stood 

Benton  City — now  entirely  abandoned. 
The  road  was  completed  to  this  point  the 
last  of  July,  1868.  At  that  time  a large 
amount  of  freight  for  Montana,  Idaho, 
Utah,  and  the  western  country  was  re- 
shipped in  wagons  at  this  point,  anct  dur- 
ing August  and  September  the  place  pre- 
sented a lively  aspect,  which  continued 
until  the  road  was  finished  to  Bryan,  the 
first  of  October.  Benton  at  that  time  was 
composed  of  canvas  tents ; about  3,000  peo- 
ple of  all  kinds  made  the  population ; a 
harder  set  it  would  be  impossible  to  find — 
roughs,  thieves,  petty  gamblers  (the  same 
thing),  fast  women,  and  the  usual  accom- 
paniments of  the  railroad  towns,  flourished 
here  in  profusion.  There  were  high  old 
times  in  Benton  then,  but  as  the  road 


stretched  away  to  the  westward,  the  people 
“packed  up  their  tents  and  stole  noiselessly 
away,”  leaving  only  a few  old  chimneys 
and  post-holes  to  mark  the  spot  of  the  once 
flourishing  town.  Whiskey  was  the  prin- 
cipal drink  of  the  citizens,  it  being  the 
most  convenient,  as  all  the  water  used  had 
to  be  hauled  from  the  Platte  River,  two 
miles  distant,  at  an  expense  of  one  dollar 
per  barrel,  or  ten  cents  per  bucket-full. 

At  Benton,  the  blufls  which  mark  the 
entrance  to  the  canyon  of  the  Platte  near 
Fort  Steele,  are  plainly  visible  and  will 
continue  in  sight  until  we  near  Rawlins. 
They  are  of  gray  sandstone,  worn,  marked 
by  the  waters  or  by  the  elements,  far  up 
their  perpendicular  sides.  They  are  on  the 
opposite  side  of  the  river,  the  banks  on  the 
west  side  being  comparatively  low. 

At  this  point  the  river  makes  a bend,  and 
for  several  miles  we  seem  to  be  running 
down  the  river,  parallel  with  it,  though 
really  drawing  away  from  the  stream. 

To  the  south  is  a long,  high  ridge  of 
grey  granite,  called  the  “ Hog  Back.”  It 
is  about  four  miles  away  from  the  road, 
and  runs  parallel  with  it  for  about  15 
miles,  terminating  in  the  highlands  of 
Rawlins  Springs.  It  is  very  narrow  at  the 
base,  not  exceeding  half-a-mile  in  width, 
yet  it  rises  from  1,000  to  3,000  feet  high. 
The  ridge  is  so  sharp  that  cattle  cannot  be 
driven  across  it,  and  in  many  places  it  is 
all  but  impracticable  for  a man  to  attempt  to 
walk  along  its  summit.  Where  this  ridge 
reaches  the  river  bank,  about  two  and  a 
half  miles  above  the  bridge,  the  walls  are 
perpendicular  and  very  high,  from  1,000  to 
1,500  feet.  A corresponding  blufi*  on  the 
opposite  side  shows  that  the  river  has  cut  a 
channel  through  this  ridge,  which  at  one 
time  barred  the  progress  of  the  waters. 

On  the  south  side  of  the  ridge  is  a very 
pretty  little  valley,  through  which  flows  a 
small  creek  into  the  Platte.  It  furnishes 
fine  grazing,  and  is  in  marked  contrast  to 
the  surrounding  country. 

Many  years  ago  this  green  and  peaceful 
looking  vale  was  the  scene  of  a fearful  bat- 
tle between  the  Sioux  and  their  inveterate 
enemies,  the  Utes.  The  Sioux  w^ere  encamped 
in  the  valley,  and  were  surprised  by  the 
Utes,  who  stole  on  them  in  the  grey  light 
of  the  morning,  and  attacked  them  furi- 
ously. Though  taken  by  surprise,  the 
Sioux  fought  bravely,  but  were  surrounded 
and  overpow^ered.  When  trying  to  escape, 
they  essayed  to  cross  the  “ Hog  Back,” 
but  every  one  who  raised  his  head  above 


AND  PACIFIC  COAST  GUIDE. 


101 


the  crest  was  picked  off  instantly.  A por- 
tion of  the  hand  escaped  in  another  direc- 
tion, leaving  their  dead  comrades  on  the 
field.  The  Sioux  were  so  badly  whipped 
that  from  that  time  forward  they  have  had 
little  use  for  the  Utes. 

North  Platte  River— We  gave  a 
short  description  of  this  river  from  where 
we  first  crossed  it,  near  North  Platte  City, 
to  Fort  Steele,  so  we  will  now  trace  it  from 
this  station  to  its  source. 

From  Fort  Steele  to  the  head  waters  of 
the  Platte  is  about  150  to  200  miles.  It 
rises  in  the  mountains  of  the  Nortli  Park, 
its  waters  being  supplied  by  many  tributa- 
ries, which,  at  present,  are  mostly  nameless. 
The  course  of  the  river,  from  its  source  to 
this  point,  is  nearly  due  north. 

About  twenty-five  miles  above  the  fort, 
is  the  Platte  Ferry,  on  the  old  overland 
stage  road. 

Good  bottom  lands  are  found  along  the 
stream  at  intervals.  About  100  miles  fur- 
ther up,  the  tributaries  of  the  river  begin 
to  empty  their  waters  into  the  main  stream, 
and  the  timber  land  commences. 

Douglas  Creek  and  French  Creek  are 
tributaries  of  the  Platte,  and  run  through 
heavy  timbered  valleys.  Gold  mines  and 
gulch  diggings  were 
discovered  here,  but  not 
prospected  to  any  grea 
extent.  On  the  west  side 
of  the  river.  Monument 
and  Big  creeks  empty 
their  waters  into  the 
Platte,  nearly  opposite 
the  creeks  first  named. 

Big  Creek  rises  in  a 
beautiful  lake,  about 
three  miles  long  by  half 
a mile  wide.  A half- 
mile  above  this  lies 
another  lake,  but  little 
smaller.  This  ground 
is  disputed  territory  be- 
tween the  Sioux  and 
Utes,  rendering  it  very 
unsafe  for  small  parties. 

Eight  miles  from 
Douglas  Creek  coal  is 
found  in  abundance, 
and  farther  on,  fine- 
looking  quartz  veins 
crop  out  on  the  hillside. 

Near  here  are  sulphur 
springs,  seven  in  num- 
ber, and  very  hot; 
while,  along  side  of 


them  rises  a clear,  sparkling  spring  of 
ice-cold  water,  and  we  opine  that  the 
time  is  not  far  distant  when  these  springs 
will  be  taken  up,  a narrow  gauge  railroad 
laid  down,  hotels  built,  and  one  of  the 
finest  “ watering*  places  ” in  the  world 
opened  to  the  public. 

Fish  of  many  kinds,  and  beavers,  are 
abundant  in  the  streams ; the  beavers 
erecting  dams  often  six  feet  high.  The 
mountains  and  forests  are  full  of  game,  and 
in  them  and  the  open  valleys  can  be  found 
elk,  deer,  antelope,  bears,  mountain  sheep 
and  lions,  and,  occasionally,  the  bison  or 
mountain  buffalo. 

The  forests  are  dense  and  large  in  extent ; 
from  which,  during  the  building  of  the 
road,  large  quantities  of  ties  were  cut  and 
fioated  down  the  river  to  Fort  Steele.  The 
valleys  are  fertile  and  large,  and  all  in  all, 
it  is  a grand,  wild  country,  where  the  tour- 
ist could  enjoy  life  to  his  heart’s  content, 
in  hunting,  fishing,  outfighting  the  Indians. 

Orennville — is  a small  side-track 
station  8 4-10  miles  west  of  Fort  Steele,  and 
it  is  seven  miles  further  to 

Rawlins — (usually  called  Rawling 
Springs).  This  place  contains  a population 
of  about  800.  The  Railroad  Company 


SNOW  GALLERIES,  SIERRA  NEVADA  MOUNTAINS. 


crofutt’s  new  overland  tourist 


102 


have  built  here  a fine  hotel,  a round-house 
of  20  stalls,  and  machine-shops  for  division 
repairs.  The  Kailroad  Company  employ 
180  men. 

The  surrounding  country  is  rough  and 
broken,  covered  with  sage-brush  and 
flecked  with  alkali.  Close  above  the  town 
a fine  sulphur  spring  rises  from  under  the 
bed  of  blue  limestone,  and  other  springs 
arise  from  the  surface  of  a narrow,  wet 
ravine,  which  extends  about  a mile  above 
the  town.  The  bed  of  the  ravine,  as  far  as 
the  water  extends,  is  white  with  alkali, 
where  the  pools  of  stagnant  water  do  not 
cover  it. 

From  30  to  40  miles  to  the  northeast  of 
this  station,  are  located  the  Ferris  and 
Seminole  mining  districts.  The  ore  is  sil- 
ver, and  said  by  some  people  to  be  very 
rich.  Several  mills  are  in  operation,  and 
others  will  soon  be  erected.  Coal,  wood 
and  water  is  abundant  near  the  mines,  and 
prospects  are  bright  for  the  future  of  the 
district. 

Rawlins  is  the  county  seat  of  Carbon 
county,  and  was  named  in  honor  of  Gen’l 
J.  A.  Rawlins.  The  principal  business  in 
which  the  citizens  are  engaged  is  stock 
raising  and  mining. 

Two  miles  north  of  the  station  a paint 
mine  has  been  discovered,  which  prospects 
now  to  be  very  valuable.  It  is  said  to  be 
fire-and-water  proof.  Two  mills  have  been 
erected  at  the  station  for  grinding  the  paint, 
with  a daily  capacity  of  three  and  ten  tons 
respectively.  The  Union  Pacific  Railroad 
Company  are  using  it  to  paint  their  cars. 

Leaving  Rawlins,  we  follow  up  the  nar- 
row ravine  spoken  of,  through  a natural 
pass  about  300  feet  wide,  which  leads  be- 
tween two  nearly  perpendicular  blufiTs  over 
200  feet  in  height,  composed  of  yellowish 
gray  quartzose  sandstone,  overlaid  with 
carboniferous  limestone.  This  bluff  ap- 
pears to  have  extended  across  the  ravine 
sometime  in  the  past.  Perhaps  a large 
lake  was  imprisoned  above,  which  kindly 
burst  these  huge  walls,  and  left  a natural 
route  for  the  railroad. 

Beyond  the  pass  we  follow  up  this  dry 
lake  bed  6 7-10  miles  through  a sage-brush 
and  alkali  country  to 

— a small  station  where  the 
passenger  trains  do  not  stop,  and  6 7-10 
miles  further  arrive  at 

(Reparation — This  station  derives  its 
name Trom  the  fact  that  at  this  place  the 
various  parties  of  surveyors  who  had  been 
together  or  near  each  other  for  the  last 


hundred  miles,  separated  to  run  different 
lines  to  the  westward ; elevation,  6,900  feet. 
We  are  rapidly  rising,  and  15  miles  fur- 
ther will  be  on  the  summit  of  the  Rocky 
Mountains. 

Artesian  wells  are  quite  numerous  along 
the  line,  most  of  them  having  been  finished 
within  the  past  five  years.  They  are  from 
326  feet  to  1,145  feet  in  depth,  flowing 
from  400  to  1,000  gallons  an  hour,  in  one 
place  26  feet  above  the  surface.  By  pumping, 
these  wells  will  supply  from  feo  to  2,400 
gallons  of  water  per  hour.  The  one  at  this 
station  is  1,103  feet  deep,  in  which  the 
water  stands  10  feet  from  the  surface,  and 
by  pumping  yields  2,000  gallons  per  hour. 

I^illmore — is  another  station  where 
the  cars  do  not  stop.  It  is  7 5-10  miles 
west  from  Separation,  and  seven  miles 
from 

Creston — Sage-brush  and  alkali  beds 
are  the  rule  now,  and  have  bev^n  for  the 
last  25  miles,  and  will  be  for  the  next  100 
miles.  We  are  now  near  the  summit  of 
the  great  “ back-bone  ” of  the  continent — 
the  Rocky  Mountains — just  7,030  feet 
above  the  level  of  the  sea. 

Two  and  a half  miles  west  of  this  point 
a large  sign-board  has  been  erected,  bearing 
the  following : 

“ CONTINENTAL  DIVIDE,” 
and  marks  the  summit  7,100  feet  above  the 
level  of  the  sea.  This  point  is  about  185 
miles  from  Sherman,  737  from  Omaha,  and 
from  San  Francisco,  1,177. 

On  this  wild  spot,  surrounded  by  few 
evidences  of  vegetation — and  those  of  the 
most  primitive  form — this  little  sign  marks 
the  center  of  the  grandest  range  of  moun- 
tains on  the  continent.  Amid  what  seems 
to  have  been  the  wreck  of  mountains,  we 
stand  and  gaze  away  in  the  vast  distance 
at  the  receding  lines  of  hill,  valley  and 
mountain  peaks,  which  we  have  passed  in 
our  journey.  We  feel  the  cool  mountain 
breeze  on  our  cheeks,  but  it  brings  no  aroma 
of  life  and  vegetation  with  its  cooling  cur- 
rent. We  feel  and  know  that  the  same 
sky  which  hangs  so  warm  and  blue  over 
the  smiling  valleys,  looks  down  upon  us 
now — but  how  changed  the  aspect;  thin, 
gray  and  cold  it  appears,  and  so  clear  that 
we  almost  expect  to  see  the  stars  looking 
down  through  the  glistening  sunbeams. 
We  do  not  seem  to  be  on  the  mountain 
height,  for  the  expanse  seems  but  a once 
level  plain,  now  arched  and  broken  into 
ugly,  repulsive  hollows  and  desolate  knobs. 

Here,  if  a spring  should  rise  from  this 


AND  PACIFIC  COAST  GUIDE. 


103 


Foundation  of  Temple. 

VIEW  OF  SALT  LAKE  CITY,  LOOKING  SOUTHWEST. 


sage-brush  knoll,  it  s waters  would  divide, 
and  the  different  portions  eventually  min- 
gle with  the  two  oceans  which  wash  the 
opposite  sides  of  the  continent.  We  enter 
the  cars  and  pass  on,  the  track  seeming  to 
I be  lost  but  a short  distance  in  our  front. 
The  view  from  the  rear  of  the  car  is  the 
same.  The  track  seems  to  be  warped  up 
and  doubled  out  of  sight.  The  curvature 
1 of  this  backbone  gives  the  track  a similar 
' appearance  to  that  witnessed  at  Sherman. 
Although  much  higher  at  Sherman,  still 

To  be  “ dead  broke,”  or  out  of  money,  is  ‘‘  in  the 
cap,”  on  the  bed  rock,”  etc. 


this  is  the  continental  divide,  but  the  low, 
broad  pass  brings  us  1,212  feet  below  that 
place.  To  the  north,  the  Seminole  moun- 
tains rear  their  rugged  heights,  and  farther 
on,  and  more  to  the  westward,  can  be  seen 
the  long  lines  and  gray  peaks  of  the 
Sweetwater  Range.  Still  farther  to  the 
west  and  north,  the  Wind  River  Moun- 
tains close  the  scene  in  the  dim  distance, 
their  summits  robed  in  snow.  Away  to 
the  south  can  be  seen  the  hills  which  form 
the  southern  boundary  of  tlie  pass,  near 

“ Shooting  his  mouth  oif,”  for  one  to  use  de- 
fiant or  foul  language. 


104  crofutt’s  new  overland  tourist 


by  where  the  Bridger  Pass  Station  is  situ- 
ated on  the  old  overland  stage  road. 

With  a last  look  at  this  rugged,  barren, 
desolate  region,  we  speed  away  over  the 
crest,  and  shall  have  down  grade  for  the 
next  108  miles,  descending  in  that  distance 
1,110  feet. 

— is  reached  73^  miles  west, 
but  our  train  does  not  stop ; and  7 6-10 
miles  more  brings  to 

Wasli-a-kie — named  after  an  old 
chief  of  the  Shoshone  Indians,  whose  por- 
trait will  be  found  on  page  61.  At 
this  place  is  another  artesian  well,  638 
feet  deep,  which,  at  15  feet  above  the  sur- 
face, flows  800  gallons  of  pure  water  per 
hour. 

Red  JDesert — is  9 3-10  miles  from 
Wash-a-kie.  The  country  around  here  is 
called  the  Red  Desert,  from  the  color  of  the 
barren  soil.  It  is  a huge  basin,  its  waters 
having  no  outlet.  Several  alkali  lakes  are 
found  in  it,  but  nothing  lives  on  its  surface. 
The  soil  is  bad  between  Table  Rock  and 
Creston,  the  extreme  points  of  the  desert, 
38  miles  apart.  It  is  composed  of  the  de- 
composition of  shale  and  calcareous  clays, 
and  is  deep  red,  showing  the  presence  of 
an  hydrous  sesquioxide  of  iron.  The 
southern  margin  of  the  basin  is  mainly 
sand,  which  is  lifted  up  by  every  passing 
breeze  to  fall  in  drifts  and  shifting 
mounds. 

Tipton — a side-track,  where  our  train 
does  not  stop,  is  6 6-10  miles  west  of  Red 
Desert,  and  6 7-10  miles  further,  the  train 
will  stop  at 

Table  Rock  — This  station  is  on  the 
outer  edge  of  the  desert,  which  has  an  ele- 
vation of  6,890  feet.  Off  to  the  left  can 
be  seen  a long  line  of  blufis,  rising  from 
50  to  500  feet  above  the  surrounding  coun- 
try. They  are  of  red  sandstone,  which  is 
mainly  composed  of  freshwater  shells, 
worn,  cut,  and  fluted  by  the  action  of  the 
elements.  One  of  these  bluffs,  which 
gives  its  name  to  the  station,  is  level  on 
the  top,  which  rises  about  500  feet  above 
the  road,  and  extends  for  several  miles. 
Hea^^  cuts  and  fills  are  found  here,  show- 
ing that  the  road  is  passing  ihrough  the 
rim  of  the  desert.  After  passing  through 
this  rim,  and  by  the  side-track,  t ailed 

Agate — we  go  on,  through  a rough 
and  broken  country  for  ten  miles,  when 
we  arrive  at  a station  called 

Ritter  Creek — At  this  place  the 
company  have  a ten-stall  round-house, 
and  a machine  shop,  for  repairs. 


As  we  leave  this  station,  we  begin  the 
descent  of  the  celebrated  Bitter  Creek, 
the  valley  of  which  we  shall  follow  to 
Green  River,  about  60  miles  west.  The 
valley  is  narrow,  the  bluffs  coming  near 
the  creek  on  either  side.  The  stream  is 
small  and  so  strongly  impregnated  with 
alkali  as  to  be  almost  useless  for  man  or 
beast.  The  banks  and  bottoms  are  very 
treacherous  in  places,  miring  any  cattle 
which  attempt  to  reach  its  fetid  waters. 
This  section  was  always  a terror  to  travel- 
's, emigrants  and  freighters,  for  nothing 
in  the  line  of  vegetation  will  grow,  ex- 
cepting grease- wood  and  sage-brush.  The 
freighter,  especially,  who  had  safely  navi- 
gated this  section,  w^ould  “ ring  his  pop- 
per ” and  claim  that  he  was  a “tough  cuss 
on  wheels,  from  Bitter  Creek  with  a per- 
fect education.” 

From  the  source  to  the  mouth  of  this 
stream,  every  indication  points  to  the  fact 
that  deposits  of  oil  underlie  the  surface. 
Coal  veins— valuable  ones— have  been 
found,  and  an  oil-bearing  shale  underlies  a 
large  portion  of  the  valley.  The  old  over- 
land stage  and  emigrant  road  follows  this 
valley  from  its  source  to  Green  River. 
From  the  blufis,  spurs  reach  out  as  though 
they  would  like  to  meet  their  jagged 
friends  on  the  opposite  bluffs ; and  around 
the  rough  points  the  cars  roll  merrily  on 
down,  down  to  the  Green.  | 

Rlack  Rutteis — is  9 1-10  miles  down 
the  creek. 

Hallville  — an  unimportant  station  to 
the  tourist,  is  miles  from  the  Buttes, 
and  5 8-10  miles  to 

Point  of  Rocks— Here  an  artesian 
well,  1,015  feet  in  depth,  supplies  an  abun- 
dance of  pure  water. 

Extensive  coal  mines  near  this  station 
are  being  worked  by  the  Wyoming  Coal 
Company,  who  ship  as  high  as  100  car-  . 
loads  daily.  In  one  blufi*  at  a depth  of  80 
feet,  five  veins  of  coal  have  been  opened — I 
one  upon  the  other — which  are  respectively  ' 
one,  three,  four,  five,  and  six  and  a half  feet  ' 
in  thickness.  On  the  bluff,  just  above  the 
coal,  is  a seam  of  oyster-shells  six  inches  in 
thickness,  which  Hayden  says  “ is  an  ex- 
tinct and  undescribed  species,  about  the 
size  of  our  common  edible  one.” 

The  sandstone  blufis,  at  points  along  the 
road,  are  worn  by  the  action  of  the  elements 
into  curious,  fantastic  shapes,  some  of 
which  have  been  named  “ Caves  of  the 
Sand,”  “ Hermit’s  Grotto,”  “ Water-washed 
Caves  of  the  Fairies,”  “ Sanko’s  Bower,” 


STEAM  DO  AT  ROCK,  ECHO  cj 


AND  PACIFIC  COAST  GUIDE. 


105 


&c.  Prof.  Hayden,  in  his  geological  ex- 
amination of  this  section  of  the  creek,  re- 
ported finding  “ preserved  in  the  rocks  the 
greatest  abundance  of  deciduous  leaves  of 
the  poplar,  ash,  elm  and  maple.”  He  says 
further:  “Among  the  plants  found  is  a 
specimen  of  fan-palm,  v^hich,  at  the  time  it 
rew  here,  displayed  a leaf  of  enormous 
imensions,  sometimes  having  a spread  of 
ten  or  twelve  feet.  These  gigantic  palms 
seem  to  have  formed  a conspicuous  feature 
among  the  trees  of  these  ancient  forests.” 
Several  sulphur  and  iron  springs  are  lo- 
cated near,  hut  little  attention  has  been  di- 
rected to  their  special  virtues. 

Thayer— a small  side-track,  5 3-10 
miles  further  west,  is  passed  without  stop- 
ping, and  6 2-10  miles  more  we  arrive  at 
{^alt  Wells— This,  until  coal  was  dis- 
covered in  quantities  on  the  creek,  was  a 
wood  station.  The  wood  was  obtained 
from  five  to  ten  miles  south,  in  the  gulches, 
where  also  could  be  found  game  in  abund- 
ance-elk, deer,  bears,  etc. 


Baxter — is  eight  miles  from  the  Wells 
and  5 4-10  from 

Bock  Springs- This  station  was 
named  alter  a saline  spring  of  water  which 
boils  up  out  of  the  blufis,  looking  very  clear 
and  nice,  but  it  is  very  deceiving— an  un- 
common thing  in  this  truthful  world. 

An  artesian  well  has  been  sunk  at  this 
station,  1,145  feet  deep.  The  water  flows  to 
the  surface  at  the  rate  of  960  gallons  per 
hour,  and  at  26  feet  above  the  surface, 
flows  571  gallons  per  hour.  The  popu- 
lation of  this  place  is  500,  mostly  engaged 
in  mining  and  stock  raising.  Near  here 
are  more  rich  coal  mines. 

From  this  point  to  Green  River,  the 
scenery  becomes  more  grand  and  im- 
pressive, the  bluffs  rising  higher  and  the 
gorge  narrowing,  until  the  hills  seem  to 
hang  over  the  narrow  valley  with  their 
frowning  battlements.  Through  this  gorge 
we  rattle  on  nine  miles  to 

Bawrence— a small  station  six  miles 
from  the  end  Laramie  Division. 


106 


crofutt’s  new  overland  tourist 


WESTERN  DIVISION. 

GREEN  RIVER  TO  OGDEN. 


A.  A.  Egbert,  Division  Superintendent. 


WEST  FROM  OMAHA. 

LARAMIE  TIME. 

EAST  FROM  CALIFORNIA. 

Daily 

Emigrant. 

Daily 
Express, 
1st  & 2d  CPs 

Distance 

from 

Omaha. 

STATIONS. 

Elevation 

Daily 
Express, 
lst«fc2d  CPs 

Daily 

Emigrant. 

12:20  tarn 

7 :45  t pm 

....845.. 

Lv....=*'GREEN  RIVER Ar 

....6140.. 

8:30  t 

11:15 

1:10 

8*15 

858.. 

*Bryan 

....6340.. 

7:50 

7:30 

7:07 

6:40 

10:20 

9:40 

9:00 

1:45 

8:35 

... .866.. 

Marston 

....6245.. 

2:30 

9:00 

... .876.. 

^Granger 

....6270.. 

3:20 

9:28 

...  .887... 

* Church  fiuttes 

....6317.. 

8:05 

7:20 

4:05 

9:55 

....896.. 

Hampton 

....6500.. 

6:15 

4:45 

10:15 

....904.. 

*Carter 

6550.. 

5:55 

6:45 

5:40 

5:40 

10:45 

913.. 

*Bridger 

....6780.. 

5:30 

6:10 

11 :05 

918.. 

Leroy 

....7123.. 

5:18 

5:10 

7:10 

11 :45 

....  928 . . 

^Piedmont 

....6540.. 

4:50 

4:10 

8:15 

12:25  pm 
12:43 

. ...937.. 

* Aspen 

....7835.. 

4:20 

3:10 

8:40 

. .. .942.. 

^Hilliard 

..  .7310.. 

4:00 

2:40 

9:00 

12 :55 

....945  . 

Millis 

...6790.. 

3:48 

2:25 

10:40 

1:50  t 

2:25 

....955.. 

*Evanston 

...6870.. 

3:20  t 

2:25 

1:35  am 

11:40 

....966.. 

* Wasatch 

....6879.. 

12:00  night 
11:00 

12:30  pm 
1:15  t 

2:30 

2:58 

....975.. 

*Castle  Rock 

....6290.. 

1:40 

3:20 

. .. .982.. 

Hanging  Rock 

....5974.. 

1:15 

10:15 

3:50 

. .. .991.. 

=^E  cho 

....5315.. 

12:40 

9:20  t 

8:10 

3:15 

4:20 

. ..999.. 

....  5250 . . 

12:10  p m 
11:45 

3 :55 

4:45 

.. .1007.. 

*We^er' .” 

....5130.. 

7:30 

4:45 

5:12 

...1015.. 

*Peterson 

....4963. 

11:20 

6:45 

5:10 

5:50 

5:30 

.. .1019.. 

Devil’s  Gate 

....4870. 

11:05 

6:20 

5:50 

. .1024.. 

*Uintah 

4560. . 

11:45 

5:50 

6 :40  t pm 

6:15  turn 

.. .1032.. 

Ar *OGDEN Lv 

....4340.. 

10:20  tarn 

5:00  pm 

t Meals.  * Telegraph.  Note  elevations. 


G-reen  River — is  the  county  seat  of 
Sweetwater  county,  845  miles  west  of 
Omaha,  the  end  of  the  Laramie  and  the 
commencement  of  the  Western  Division 
of  the  U.  P. 

The  place  is  a regular  eating  station, 
where  passenger  trains  stop  30  minutes — 
those  from  the  East  for  breakfast,  those 
from  the  West  tor  supper.  Much  taste  is 
displayed  at  this  station  in  decorating  the 
dining  room  and  office  with  mountain  cu- 
riosities, mineral  specimens,  moss  agate 
and  horns  of  game. 

The  city  has  a good  court-house — costing 
$35,000 ; several  dry  goods,  grocery,  cloth- 
ing and  other  stores ; two  hotels,  and  about 
400  population;  also,  a daily  newspaper, 
the  Evening  Press.  The  Railroad  Com- 
pany has  a round-house  of  15  stalls,  and 
machine  shops  and  repair  shops,  located 
here,  that,  in  the  early  years  of  the  road, 
were  at  Bryan. 


It  is  claimed  that  the  surrounding  coun- 
try is  rich  in  mines,  but  one  thing  is  cer- 
tain— it  is  rich  in  cattle;  it  has  cattle  on 
more  than  a “ thousand  hills.” 

The  bluffs  near  this  station  present  a 
peculiar  formation  called,  by  Prof.  Hay- 
den, the  “ Green  River  Shales.”  For  a 
beautiful  illustration  of  the  bluffs,  the  sta- 
tion and  the  bridge,  see  Annex  No.  16. 

The  walls  of  these  bluffs  rise  perpendic- 
ularly for  hundreds  of  feet,  are  of  a grayish 
buff  color,  and  are  composed  of  layers,  ap- 
parently sedimentary  deposits  of  all  thick- 
nesses, from  that  of  a knife-blade  to  two 
feet.  At  the  ba^e  of  the  bluff  the  layers 
are  thin  and  composed  of  arenaceous  clay, 
with  laminated  sandstone,  mud  markings 
and  other  indications  of  shallow  water  or 
mud  flats ; color  for  100  feet,  ashen  brown ; 
next  above  are  lighter  colored  layers,  al- 
ternate with  greenish  layers,  and  fine 


! 


AND  PACIFIC  COAST  GUIDE. 


107 


CROSSING  TRUCKEE  RIVER,  C.  P.  R.  R. 


white  sand.  Passing  up,  clay  and  lime 
predominate,  then  come  layers  of  bould- 
ers, pebbles,  and  small  nodules. 

There  are  also  seams  of  \ery  fine  black 
limestone,  saturated  with  petroleum.  Near 
the  summit,  under  the  shallow,  calcareous 
sandstone,  there  are  over  fifty  feet  of  shales 
that  contain  more  or  less  of  oily  material. 
The  hills  all  around  are  capped  with  a 
deep,  rusty  yellow  sandstone,  which  pre- 
sents the  peculiar  castellated  forms  which, 
with  the  banded  appearance,  have  given 
so  much  celebrity  to  the  scenery  about 
this  station. 

The  point  where  our  photographer 
stood  to  take  the  picture,  was  about  one- 
half  mile  below  the  bridge  and  immedi- 
ately opposite  the  mouth  of  the  noted 
Bitter  Creek,  down  which,  in  years  past, 
rolled  the  wagons  of  the  pioneer-emigrants 
of  the  far  West,  on  their  weary  way 
seeking  new  El  Doradoes  towards  the  set- 
ting sun. 


Old  Town — A short  distance  from  the 
station  to  the  southward  is  the  site  of  the 
old  deserted  city  of  Green  Kiver,  near  the 
old  emigrant  crossing,  and  thereby  hangs 
a tale.  This  city  was  laid  out  in  July, 
1868,  and  the  September  following  con- 
tained 2,000  inhabitants,  and  many  sub- 
stantial wood  and  adobe  buildings,  and 
presented  a permanent  appearance.  At 
that  time  it  w^as  thought  by  the  citizens 
that  the  Kailroad  Company  would  certainly 
erect  theii  division  buildings  near  the  town, 
and  it  would  become  an  important  station 
in  consequence.  But  the  Railroad  Com- 
pany opposed  the  Town  Company,  bridged 
the  river,  and  as  the  road  stretched  away 
to  the  westward,  the  town  declined  as  rap- 
idly as  it  arose,  the  people  moving  on  to 
Bryan,  at  which  place  the  Railroad  Com- 
pany located  their  city — and  sold  lots. 

Geographical  indications  the  first 
pointed  to  the  fact  that  the  Railroad  Com- 
pany must  eventually  select  this  place  in 


108  CROFUTT’s  new  OV'ERLAND  tourist 


preference  to  Bryan,  which  is  now  an  ac- 
complished fact. 

Twenty  Years  Ago  an  important 
trading  post  was  located  near  this  station 
just  below,  on  the  opposite  side  of  the 
river.  In  early  days,  the  Mormons  had  a 
ferry  here,  and  a-;  the  river  was  seldom 
fordable — except  late  in  the  fall — they 
reaped  a rich  harvest  of  from  $5  to  $20  a 
team  for  crossing  them  over  the  river,  ac- 
cording as  the  owners  were  found  able  to 
pay.  Those  times  were  comparatively 
only  yesterday,  and  we  might  say  with  the 
juggler  “ Presto  ! ” and  we  have  the  “ iron 
horse,”  and  the  long  trains  of  magnificent 
palace  cars,  crossing  the  substantial  rail- 
road bridge,  conveying  their  hundreds  of 
passengers  daily — passengers  from  every 
land  and  clime — and  whirling  them  across 
the  continent  from  ocean  to  ocean,  on 
schedule  time.  Do  these  passengers,  while 
partaking  of  a princely  meal,  lying  at  ease 
sipping  their  wine,  {or  pos<sihly  ice  water,) 
and  smoking  quietly  their  cigar,  ever 
think  of  the  hardy  pioneers  who  toiled 
along  on  foot  and  alone,  many  times  over 
seven  months  traveling  the  same  distance 
that  can  now  be  made  in  jive  clays  f These 
pioneers  suffered  every  kind  of  hardship, 
many  even  unto  death,  and  those  that  re- 
main are  fast  passing  away.  Yet,  the 
fruits  of  their  adventurous  and  daring  in- 
trepidity can  be  seen  on  every  hand. 

Green  River — This  stream  rises  in 
the  northwest  portion  of  the  Wind  River 
Mountains,  at  the  base  of  Fremont’s  Peak. 
The  source  of  the  river  is  found  in  innu- 
merable little  streams,  about  200  miles 
from  the  railroad  crossing.  About  150 
miles  below  the  station  the  river  empties 
into  the  Colorado  River.  The  name 
“ Green  River  ” implies  the  color  of  the 
water,  but  one  would  hardly  expect  to  be- 
hold a large,  rapid  river,  whose  waters 
possess  so  deep  a hue.  The  river,  for  some 
distance  up  the  stream,  commencing  about 
fifty  miles  above  the  station,  runs  through 
a soil  composed  of  decomposed  rock, 
slate,  etc.,  which  is  very  green,  and  easily 
washed  and  worn  away,  which  accounts 
for  the  color  of  the  water.  At  all  seasons 
of  the  year  the  water  is  very  good — the 
best,  by  far,  of  any  found  in  this  part  of 
the  country.  The  tributaries  abound  in 
trout  of  fine  flavor,  and  the  main 
river  is  well  stocked  with  the  finny  tribe. 
Game  of  all  kinds  abound  along  the  river 
and  in  the  adjacent  mountains. 

Fontenelle  Creek  comes  into  Green  River 


40  miles  north,  and  is  specially  noted  for  , 
game,  trout,  etc. 

The  lower  stream  presents  a very  marked 
feature,  aside  from  the  high  blufts  of  worn 
sandstone  besides  sedimentary  deposits. 
These  features  are  strongly  marked,  above 
the  bridge,  for  several  miles. 

From  Green  River  station,  the  first  ex- 
ploring expedition  of  Maj.  Powell  started 
on  the  24th  of  May,  1869.  The  party  con- 
sisted of  about  a dozen  well-armed,  intrepid 
men,  mostly  Western  hunters.  They  had 
four  well-built  boats,  with  which  to  explore 
the  mysterious  and  terrible  canyons  of 
Green  River  and  the  Colorado.  These 
gorges  were  comparatively  unknown,  the 
abrupt  mountain  walls  having  turned  the 
travel  far  from  their  sterile  shores.  Sci- 
ence and  commerce  demanded  a solution 
of  the  question : “ Can  the  upper  Colorado 
be  navigated?”  and  Maj.  Powell  under- 
took to  solve  the  problem. 

The  party  encountered  hardships,  dis- 
covered beautiful  scenery,  and  in  their  re- 
port have  thrown  much  light  on  the  mys- 
teries of  this  heretofore  not  much  traveled 
country.  The  result  of  the  expedition  af- 
forded the  Major  the  materials  for  a course 
of  lectures,  and  demonstrated  the  impor- 
tant fact  that  the  Colorado  canyon  is  not 
navigable. 

We  hear  that  the  Major  has,  since  the 
above,  made  an  expedition  to  the  river,  but 
are  not  informed  as  to  the  results. 

A wagon  road  leads  north,  up  the  east 
side  of  the  river,  over  which  a stage  runs 
regularly  to  the 

Sweetwater  Country — The  principal 
cities  are  South  Pass,  Atlantic  and  Hamil- 
ton. They  are  situated  four  miles  apart. 
The  principal  occupation  of  the  citizens  is 
quartz  gold  mining.  Many  of  the  mines 
are  said  to  be  very  rich,  but  for  some  rea- 
son very  unprofitable  to  w(;rk.  The  prin- 
cipal mines  are  on  Sweetwater  River,  a trib- 
utary of  Wind  River,  which  passes  through 
very  rich  mineral  and  agricultural  coun- 
try. 

Wind  River  is  a tributary  of  the  Big  ! 
Horn  River,  which  empties  into  the  Yel-  ' 
lowstone.  The  streams  abound  in  fish,  in- 
cluding trout  of  excellent  flavor.  The 
valleys  and  mountains  furnisli  game  in  i 
abundance,  including  deer,  elk,  antelope,  i 
mountain  sheep,  buffalo,  cinnamon,  brown, 
black  and  grizzly  bears. 

Indian  difiiculties  have  retarded  min-  ^ 
ing,  agricultural,  and  business  operations  ! 
very  much  in  the  past.  | 


I* 


AiS^I)  PACIFIC  COAST  GUIDF. 


109 


Leaving  the  station, 
we  cross  Green  River 
on  a fine  bridge,  the 
cars  passing  along 
through  heavy  cuts, 
almost  over  the  river 
i in  places,  affording  a 
fine  view  of  the  frown- 
, ing  cliffs  on  the  east 
I side  of  the  river. 
Twenty  miles  to  the 
northwest  a large  bar- 
. ren  butte,  pilot-knob, 
stands  in  isolated 
I loneliness.  Soon  we 
turn  to  the  left,  leav- 
; ing  the  river,  and  pass 
along  a dreary  barren 
. waste  for  13.4  miles, 

■ and  arrive  at 

Bryan — a desert- 
ed old  station.  The 
country  around  is  bar- 
ren, composed  of  red 
i sand,  and  uninviting 
i in  the  extreme.  We 
I are  again  increasing 
I our  elevation.  The 
I road  was  completed 
i to  Bryan,  Septem- 
, her,  1868,  and  large 
amounts  of  freiglit 
was  delivered  here  to 
be  re-shipped  to  the 
; westward.  Prom  this 
station  to  the  north- 
ward, it  is  80  miles 
to  the  Pacific  Springs 
on  the  old  “ California 
trail,”  and  90  miles 
to  Sweetwater. 

, At  one  time  stages 
left  this  station  for  the 
' Sweetwater  country, 

] but  they  have  been 
^ transferred  to  Green 
, River  station.  Freight 
for  the  Government 
' posts,  and  country  to 
' the  northward,  Atlan- 
^ tic  City,  South  .Pass, 
&c.,  is  hauled  from 
this  station  by  wagon 
teams  as  of  old. 

Bryan,  during  its 
early  days,  was  quite 
lively,  and  troubled 
with  the  usual  number 


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110  crofutt’s  new  overland  tourist 

of  roughs,  gamblers  and  desperadoes. 
When  the  Vigilance  Committee  was  in 
session  here,  in  1868,  they  waited  on  a 
noted  desperado,  and  gave  him  15  minutes 
to  leave  town.  He  mounted  his  mule  and 
said : “Gentlemen,  if  this  d — m mule  don’t 
buck,  I don’t  want  but  five.”  We  com- 
mend his  judgment,  and  consider  that  for 
once  “ Ms  head  was  leveL^' 

Black’s  Fork  is  approached  at  this 
station.  It  rises  in  the  Uintah  Mountains, 
about  100  miles  to  the  southwest,  and  emp- 
ties into  Green  River,  below  Green  River 
City.  The  bottom  lands  of  this  river,  for 
fifty  miles  above  Bryan,  are  susceptible  of 
irrigation,  and  are  thought  to  be  capable 
of  raising  small  grains. 

Mar^ton — is  an  unimportant  station, 
7.6  miles  from  Bryan.  Soon  after  passing 
the  station,  to  the  northward,  the  old  Mor- 
mon trail  from  Johnson’s  Ford  on  Green 
River,  12  miles  above  Green  River  station, 
can  be  seen  coming  down  a ravine.  The 
route  is  marked  for  some  distance  by  a 
line  of  telegraph  poles  which  leads  to 
Sweetwater. 

Soon  after  leaving  this  station,  a fine 
view  can  be  had  to  the  left,  south  of  the 
Uintah  range  of  mountains.  The  valley 
of  the  Beaver  lays  at  the  northern  base  of 
the  range,  and  is  one  of  the  most  produc- 
tive sections  oi  the  territory ; corn,  potatoes, 
vegetables,  and  small  grain  grow  and  yield 
abundantly.  Beaver  Creek,  which  flows 
through  the  valley,  was  named  for  the 
beavers  that  inhabit  the  creek. 

As  early  as  1825,  Beaver  Creek  was 
known  to  Bridger  and  other  trappers  of 
the  American  Fur  Co;  in  after  years,  it 
became  the  headquarters — for  years  at  a 
time — of  Jim  Bridger  and  other  trappers. 
Since  trapping  beaver  has  been  aban- 
doned the  increase  in  Beaver  Creek  has  been 
wonderful.  Immense  dams  are  here  to  be 
seen,  from  four  to  six  feet  high,  which 
flood  many  thousand  acres. 

The  streams  of  this  section  not  only 
abound  in  beaver,  but  in  fish — the  trout 
here  being  abundant. 

Beyond  the  Uintah  Range  is  the  Great 
Valley  of  White  Earth  River,  where  is  lo- 
cated the  Ute  Reservation. 

Cir ranger  — is  9.6  miles  west  of 
Marston.  The  last  seven  and  a half 
miles  of  track  before  reaching  this  station 
was  laid  down  by  J ack  Caseman  in  one 
day.  The  station  is  named  for  an  old  set- 
tler, Mr.  Granger,  who  keeps  a ranche 
near  by. 

J ust  after  leaving  this  station  we  cross  a 
bridge  over  Ham’s  Fork,  immediately  at 
its  junction  with  Black’s  Fork. 

Ham’s  Fork  rises  about  forty  miles  to 
the  northwest,  in  Hodge’s  Pass.  The  bot- 
tom lands  of  this  stream  are  very  pro- 
ductive of  grass ; the  upper  portion  of  the 
valleys,  near  the  mountains,  produce  ex- 
cellent hay-crops.  It  is  supposed  that  the 
small  grains  would  flourish  here  under  ir- 
rigation, but  the  experiment  has  not  yet 
been  tried  on  a large  scale,  though  the 
whole  valley  can  be  irrigated  with  but  lit- 
tle labor. 

In  1867,  the  Union  Pacific  Railroad 
Company  surveyed  a route  from  this  point 
— Ham’s  Fork — via  Salmon  Falls,  Old’s 
Ferry  on  the  Snake  River,  and  Umatilla, 
to  Portland,  Oregon.  The  route,  as  sur- 
veyed, is  460  miles  by  railroad,  315  by 
steamboat. 

After  crossing  the  bridge  we  leave 
Black’s  Fork,  which  bears  away  to  the 
left,  as  also  the  old  stage  road,  which  fol- 
lows up  that  stream  to  Fort  Bridger.  Our 
course  is  due  west,  following  up  the  bank 
of  the  Big  Muddy,  which  we  cross  and  re- 
cross several  times  before  we  reach  Pied- 
mont, 50  miles  ahead,  where  we  shall 
leave  it.  The  valley  of  the  stream  is  nar- 
row, producing  sage-brush  and  grease- 
wood  in  luxuriance,  and  possibly  would 
produce  good  crops,  with  irrigation. 

Churcli  finite^ — is  situated  on  Big 
Muddy  Creek,  just  east  of  the  crossing,  in 
the  midst  of  a sage-brush  country. 

The  station  is  10.5  miles  from  Granger’s, 
a noted  place  for  moss  agates.  These 
beautiful  stones  are  found  along  the  line  of 
the  road  from  Green  River  to  Piedmont, 
but  in  greater  profusion  here  than  at  any 
other  point  near  the  road. 

In  some  places  the  ground  is  literally 
paved  with  these  gems.  The  flinty  boulders 
vary  in  size  from  a pea  to  about  five  inches 
in  diameter.  The  outside  of  these  pebbles 
is  a dark  gray  and  a greenish  blue  in  spots. 
Should  the  reader  conclude  to  stop  over 
and  hunt  moss  agates,  our  advice  would  be : 
take  your  time  and  a hammer  with  you ; 
crack  the  rocks  and  pebbles  beneath  your 
feet ; and  when  you  find  one  of  the  agates, 
if  it  looks  dull  and  rusty,  do  not  throw  it 
away  in  hopes  of  finding  a prettier  one ; for 
often  the  dull-looking  stone,  when  rightly 
cut  and  dressed,  is  very  beautiful  and 
valuable.  Most  of  the  agates  are  valueless, 
but  some  are  very  beautiful,  and  will  readily 
sell  for  from  |50  to  $75. 

AND  PACIFIC  COAST  GUIDE. 


Ill 


Church  Buttes  station 
derives  its  name  from 
the  peculiar  formation  of 
the  sand  - stone  bluffs, 
which  extend  for  many 
miles  on  the  left-hand  side 
of  the  road;  they  are 
about  ten  miles  distant. 

At  the  Old  Church  Buttes 
station,  on  the  old  over- 
land stage  road,” — about 
nine  miles  to  the  south 
they  rise  in  lofty  domes 
and  pinnacles,  which,  at  a 
distance,  resemble  the  flut- 
ed columns  of  some  cath- 
edral of  the  olden  time, 
standing  in  the  midst  of 
desolation;  its  lofty  tur- 
reted  roof  and  towering 
spires  rising  far  above 
the  surrounding  country; 
but  on  nearer  approach 
the  scene  changes,  and 
we  And  a huge  mass 
of  sandstone,  worn  and 
washed  by  the  elements 
until  it  has  assumed  the 
outline  of  a church  of  the 
grandest  dimensions,  it 
being  visible  for  a great 
distance.  Again  we  go 
westward  9.  4 miles  to 

Hampton — a side  track,  with  cattle 
pens  and  shute  for  loading  them — large 
herds  of  which  range  in  this  section,  on  the 
hills  and  in  the  adjacent  valleys. 

To  the  left,  after  leaving  the  station,  we 
see  high  buttes  of  all  fantastic  shapes, 
showing  water  lines,  which  indicate  that 
there  has  been  “high  water”  here  some 
time  in  the  past. 

Carter — is  7 5 miles  from  the  last 
station.  About  seven  miles  north,  a large 
sulphur  spring,  and  near  it  a calybeta 
spring  has  been  discovered,  and  about 
fourteen  miles  further  a mountain  of  coal ; 
the  total  thickness  of  the  veins  is  87  feet, 
traceable  for  twelve  miles.  A branch  rail- 
road is  contemplated  to  the  coal  bank,  via 
the  springs. 

This  station  is  named  for  Judge  Carter,  of 
Bridger.  This  gentleman  has  a large  ware- 
house at  this  point,  where  freight  is  received 
from  Virginia  City,  Helena,  and  Bannock 
City,  Montana  Territory.  This  route  is 
said  to  be  80  miles  shorter  than  any  other 
road  leading  from  the  Union  Pacific  rail- 
road to  these  cities. 


JAMES  BRIDGER — See  following  pag®. 

The  series  of  buttes  that  has  been  ob- 
served on  our  left  below,  continues,  but 
are  more  of  a uniform  height — table-topped, 
with  scrub  cedars  in  the  gulches  and 
ravines.  Some  of  these  buttes  look  like 
immense  railroad  dumps,  as  they  jet  out 
into  the  valley,  round  and  steep. 

On  the  right,  the  soil  is  red-clay,  with 
some  rocks  of  the  same  color. 

Fort  Bridger — is  ten  miles  east  from 
this  station,  over  the  bluffs,  out  of  sight, 
having  been  established  in  1858,  by  General 
A.  S.  Johnson,  latitude  41  deg.  18  min.  and 
12  sec. ; longitude  110  deg.  32  min.  and  38 
sec. 

Black’s  Fork,  which  runs  through  the 
center  of  the  parade  ground,  affords  ex- 
cellent water,  and  with  Smith’s  Fork,  a 
stream  five  miles  southeast,  affords  as  fine 
trout  as  there  is  in  the  country. 

The  chief  of  the  Shoshones,  Wash-a-kie, 
whose  picture  will  be  found  on  page 
61,  is  almost  always  at  this  post.  He  is  a 
very  kind,  honorable  Indian,  and  has  been 
the  steadfast  friend  of  the  whites  for  many 
years. 


112 


CKOFUTT  S :NEAV  OVEIiLANJ:)  TOURIST 


This  post  was  named  after  James 
Bridger,  the  renouned  hunter,  trapper  and 
guide,  who  lived  in  this  country  nearly 
half  a century^.  (See  portrait  page  111.) 

“Jim”  Bridger  is  undoubtedly  the 
most  noted  of  all  the  old  plains  men,  and 
early  pioneers  in  our  far  western  country. 
Through  the  courtesy  of  W.  A.  Carter,  of 
Fort  Bridger,  we  have  been  furnished  with 
a fine  picture  of  Mr.  Bridger,  and  a short 
sketch  of  his  eventful  life — from  which  we 
condense : 

“Jim  ” was  born  in  Richmond,  Virginia 
— sometime  about  the  last  of  the  last  cen- 
tury— and  while  he  was  very  small,  his 
parents  emigrated  to  St.  Louis,  Mo.,  where, 
shortly  after  their  arrival,  they  both  died 
of  an  epidemic  then  prevailing  in  that 
city.  Having  no  one  to  look  to  or  care  for 
him,  he  engaged  to  accompany  a party  of 
trappers  who  were  then  fitting  out  for  a 
trip  to  the  Rocky  Mountains. 

Entirely  devoid  of  even  the  commonest  ru- 
diments of  education,  he  crossed  the  then 
almost  wholly  unknown  and  trackless 
plains,  and  plunged  into  the  pathless 
mountains.  Greatly  attracted  by  the  novelty 
of  the  sport,  at  that  time  quite  profitable, 
he  entered  eagerly  upon  the  business  of 
trading  in  fur.  Being  naturally  shrewd,  and 
possessing  a keen  faculty  of  observation,  he 
carefully  studied  the  habits  of  the  beaver, 
and  pro.- ting  by  the  knowledge  obtained 
from  the  Indians — with  whom  he  chiefly 
associated,  and  with  whom  he  became  a 
great  favorite — he  soon  became  one  of  the 
most  expert  trappers  and  hunters  in  the 
mountains. 

Eager  to  satisfy  his  curiosity,  a natural 
fondness  for  mountain  scenery,  and  a rov- 
ing disposition,  he  traversed  the  country  in 
every  direction,  sometimes  in  company 
with  Indians,  but  oftener  alone ; he  famil- 
iarized himself  with  every  mountain  peak, 
every  gorge,  every  hill,  and  every  land- 
mark in  the  country.  He  pursued  his  trap- 
ping expeditions  north  to  the  British  Pos- 
sessions, south  to  Mexico,  and  west  to  the 
Pacific  Ocean.  In  this  way  be  became 
acquainted  with  all  the  tribes  of  Indians  in 
the  country,  and  by  long  intercourse  with 
them,  learned  their  language  and  became 
familiar  with  all  their  signs.  He  adopted 
their  habits,  conformed  to  their  customs, 
became  imbued  with  all  their  superstitions, 
and  at  length  excelled  them  in  strategy. 
The  marvelous  stories  told  by  Bridger  are 
numerous,  but  we  have  not  the  space  for  a 
“specimen.”  In  after  years,  when  it  be- 


came necessary  to  send  millitary  expedi- 
tions through  the  far  western  country,  the 
Government  employed  Bridger  as  a guide,  I 
and  his  experience  was  turned  to  good  ac-  | 
Count  as  an  interpreter  of  Indian  languages.  | 

Mr.  Bridger  died  in  1875,  near  Kansas 
City,  Mo.,  having  outlived  the  sphere  of 
his  usefulness,  there  being  no  longer  any 
portion  of  the  West  unexplored,  and  hav- 
ing reached  the  period  of  second  childhood. 

As  this  post  is  one  of  great  historic  in- 
terest, we  publish,  in  our  Annex  No.  17. 
Memories  of  Fort  Bridger.  'I'o  the  next 
station  it  is  9.5  miles,  and  is  named  after 
that  old  hunter  and  trapper, 

Bridger— and  it  is  as  unpretentious  as 
the  original.  Scrub  cedar  in  tne  high  rocky 
blufis,  sage-brush,  red  sandstone  and  red 
clay,  with  bunch-grass  for  sandwiching,  is 
the  make-up  of  the  surrounding  country. 

It  is  inhabited  by  a few  wood-choppers, 
some  stock  men,  with  herds  of  cattle  and 
sheep,  a few  deer,  antelope,  coyotes  and 
j ack  rabbits  by  the  thousands.  For  agricul- 
tural purposes,  it  is  in  a high  state  of  deso- 
lation. 

For  the  next  three  stations  we  shall 
ascend  rapidly  , The  blufis  are  nearer,  and 
we  cross  and  re-cross  the  “ Muddy  ” very 
often,  the  little  stream  being  nearly  as 
crooked  as  the  streets  in  Bostou. 

A few  miles  beyond,  on  the  left,  is  a 
towering  cliff,  which  comes  to  a point,  near 
the  road,  on  the  side  of  which  are  some 
notable  water-lines. 

This  cliff  is  about  500  feet  in  height,  and 
where  it  comes  to  a point  is  pulpit-shaped, 
and  is  known  as  Pluto’s  Outlook.  A little 
further  south  is  his  Majesty’s  Stone-Yard,  to 
which  the  railroad  company,  years  ago, 
laid  a track  for  the  purpose  of  using  the 
fiat  stone  which  lay  around  scattered  all 
over  the  “yard,”  but  here  a difficulty 
seems  to  have  arisen.  The  masons  re- 
ported that  the  stone  was  “bedeviled,” 
and  would  not  lay  still;  when  the  stone 
was  laid  fiat  in  their  work,  the  next 
morning  they  would  be  found  on  the 
edge ; when  laid  on  the  edge  and  left  alone 
for  a few  moments,  they  were  found  fiat- 
ways.  This  state  of  things  so  alarmed  the 
masons  that  they  abandoned  their  work 
and  the  country,  and  it  is  not  known  what 
has  become  of  them. 

lieroy — a side-track,  is  five  miles  from 
Bridger.  Near  here  the  old  overland  road 
comes  down  the  mountains,  crossing  the 
railroad  to  the  west,  at  Burns’  old  ranche, 
the  route  marked  by  the  line  of  telegraph 


AND  PACIFIC  COAST  GUIDE.  113 


poles.  Three  miles  west,  on  this  stage  road, 
are  the  soda  springs. 

Piedmont — is  ten  miles  from  Le- 
roy; there  are  a few  dozen  buildings  in 
sight.  The  principal  business  in  which 
the  people  are  engaged  is  the  burning  of 
charcoal  for  shipment  to  smelting  fur- 
naces in  Salt  Lake  Valley.  There  are  five 
patent  kilns  close  to  the  left  of  the  road, 
the  wood  being  hauled  from  the  Uintah 
Mountains  to  the  southward,  from  15  to  20 
miles  distant. 

Leaving  the  station,  look  ahead  from  the 
left  side,  at  the  track  and  snow-sheds.  The 
grade  is  very  heavy,  the  country  is  rough 
and  broken,  and  the  road  is  very  crooked,  al- 
most doubling  back  on  itself  in  places. 
The  track  is  laid  over  many  long  and  high 
trestle  bridges,  all  of  which  have  been  filled 
in  with  dirt,  within  the  last  six  years. 

Before  reaching  the  next  station,  our 
train  will  pass  through  five  long  snow- 
sheds.  The  small  houses  near  the  sheds 
are  the  habitations  of  the  watchmen  who 
have  them  in  charge.  These  sheds  are 
built  very  tight  to  prevent  fine  snow  from 
sifting  through,  which  causes  them  to 
be  quite  dark.  From  Piedmont,  it  is  9.4 
miles  to 

A^pen — a side-track.  Lumber  piles 
and  water-tank  make  up  the  place.  This 
station  is  next  in  height  to  Sherman,  on 
the  line  of  the  Union  Pacific.  Elevation, 
7,835  feet ; is  977  miles  from  San  Francisco, 
and  937  from  Omaha,  situated  on  the  low- 
est pass  over  the  Uintah  Mountains. 

The  station  derives  its  name  from  the 
high  mountain  to  the  north,  called  “Quak- 
ing Asp.”  The  summit  of  this  mountain 
is  covered  with  snow  during  most  ot  the 
year.  The  “ quaking  asp,”  or  aspen,  a 
species  of  poplar,  grows  in  profusion  in 
the  gulches  and  on  the  sides  of  the  moun- 
tain. The  old  overland  stage  road 
winds  around  the  northern  base,  while  the 
railroad  girds  its  southern  borders,  nearly 
encircling  it  between  the  old  and  new ; de- 
cay and  death  marking  the  one,  life,  energy 
and  growing  strength,  the  other. 

Leaving  Aspen,  the  grade  is  downward 
to  Salt  Lake  Valley.  After  rolling  through 
two  long  snow-sheds  and  five  miles  of 
road,  we  are  at 

Hilliard — population  400.  At  this 
station  huainess  can  be  felt  in  the  air.  A 
“ V ” flume  crosses  the  railroad  track — 20 
feet  above  it — in  which  immense  quanti- 
ties of  lumber,  ties,  telegraph  poles,  cord- 
wood,  etc.,  are  floated  down  from  the  pine- 


ries of  the  Uintah  Mountains,  from  20  to 
30  miles  distant,  south.  Just  to  the  right 
of  the  station  are  located  long  rows  of 
Harvey’s  patent  bee-hive  kilns,  for  burn- 
ing charcoal.  There  are  about  30  of 

them,  of  two  different  sizes,  some  with  a 
capacity  for  20  and  some  40  cords  of  wood. 
These  kilns  can  each  be  filled  and  burned 
three  times  a month,  and  from  20  cords  of 
wood  1,000  bushels  of  charcoal  is  pro- 
duced. This  coal  is  mostly  shipped  to 
smelting  furnaces,  to  the  westward — Salt 
Lake  City,  Virginia  City,  Eureka,  San 
Francisco,  etc.  One  smelting  furnace  was 
erected  here — at  the  coal — during  the  year 
1877. 

Sulphur  springs  are  located  opposite 
the  station,  to  the  north  and  south,  from  10 
to  25  miles  distant,  but  they  are  getting  too 
common  to  require  a description;  and 

then,  owing  to  late  teachings,  they  pos- 
sess little  interest  to  our  readers. 

Two  miles  from  Hilliard,  to  the  right 
of  the  road,  we  come  to  the  site  of  old 
Bear  River  City,  of  early  railroad  days, 
but  now  entirely  deserted.  It  is  situated 
in  a little  valley  at  the  mouth  of  a ravine, 
where  the  old  overland  stage  road  comes 
down  from  the  north  of  Quaking  Asp 
Mountain.  At  one  time  this  place  was 
quite  populous,  and  was  supposed  likely 
to  become  a permanent  town.  At  this 
point  the  roughs  and  gamblers,  who  had 
been  driven  from  point  to  point  westward, 
made  a stand,  congregating  in  large  num- 
bers. They  swore  that  they  would  be 
driven  no  further ; that  here  they  would 
stay,  and  fight  it  out  to  the  bitter  end. 
The  town  contained  about  1,000  law-abid- 
ing people,  and  when  the  roughs  felt  that 
trouble  was  coming  on  them,  they  with- 
drew to  the  hills  and  organized  for  a raid 
on  the  town.  Meanwhile  some  of  the 
roughs  remained  in  the  town,  and  among 
them  were  three  noted  garroters,  who  had 
added  to  their  long  list  of  crimes  that  of 
murder.  The  citizens  arose,  seized  and 
hung  them.  In  this  act  they  were  sus- 
tained by  all  law-abiding  people,  also  by 
the  Index,  a paper  which  had  followed  the 
road,  but  was  then  published  here.  This 
hastened  the  conflict,  and  on  the  19th  of 
November,  1868,  the  roughs  attacked  the 
town  in  force.  This  attack  was  repulsed 
by  the  citizens,  though  not  until  the  Bear 
River  riot  had  cost  sixteen  lives,  including 
that  of  one  citizen.  The  mob  first  attacked 
and  burned  the  jail,  taking  thence  one  of 
their  kind  who  was  confined  there.  They 


114  crofutt’s  new  overland  tourist 

next  sacked  the  office  and  destroyed  the  ma- 
terial of  the  Frontier  Index^  which  was  sit- 
uated in  a building  close  to  the  railroad,  on 
the  south  side.  Elated  with  their  success, 
the  mob,  numbering  about  800  well-armed 
desperadoes,  marched  over  to  the  north  side, 
up  the  main  street,  and  made  an  attack  on  a 
store  belonging  to  one  of  the  leading  mer- 
chants. Here  they  were  met  with  a vol- 
ley from  Henry  rifles,  in  the  hands  of 
brave  and  determined  citizens,  who  had 
collected  in  the  store.  The  mob  was 
thrown  into  confusion,  and  fled  down  the 
street,  pursued  by  the  citizens,  about  thirty 
in  number.  The  first  volley  and  the  run- 
ning fight  left  fifteen  of  the  desperadoes 
dead  on  the  street.  The  number  of 
wounded  was  never  ascertained,  but  sev- 
eral bodies  were  afterwards  found  in  the 
gulches  and  among  the  rocks,  where  they 
had  crawled  away  and  died.  One  citizen 
was  slain  in  the  attack  on  the  jail.  From 
this  time  the  roughs  abandoned  the  city. 

The  town  declined  as  soon  as  the  road 
was  built  past  it,  and  now  there  is  nothing 
left  to  mark  the  place,  except  a few  old 
chimneys,  broken  bottles  and  scattered 
oyster  cans.  Passing  on,  the  bluffs  are 
high  and  broken,  coming  close  to  the  road, 
leaving  but  a narrow  valley,  until  we  reach 

Millie — a side-track,  four  miles  from 
Hilliard.  Soon  after  passing  Millis,  we 
come  to  the  valley  of  Bear  River,  down 
which  we  run  for  two  miles  and  cross  that 
river  on  a trestle  bridge,  600  feet  in  length. 

Bear  River — This  stream  rises  about 
sixty  miles  to  the  south  in  the  Uintah  and 
Wasatch  Mountains.  It  has  many  tribu- 
taries, which  abound  in  very  fine  trout — 
and  quite  a business  is  carried  on  in  catch- 
ing and  salting  them  for  the  trade.  The 
river  here  runs  almost  due  north,  to  Port 
ISTeuf  Gap.  Before  reaching  the  Gap,  it 
comes  to  Bear  Lake,  from  which  it  takes 
its  name.  The  lake  is  about  15  miles 
long  by  seven  wide,  and  contains  plenty  of 
trout  and  other  fish.  There  are  some 
pretty  Mormon  settlements  at  different 
points  along  the  river  and  lake  shore. 

The  Upper  Bear  Lake  Valley  is  a point 
of  great  interest  on  account  of  the  fertility 
of  the  soil,  its  romantic  situation,  the 
beautiful  and  grand  scenery  of  rock,  lake 
and  mountain  in  that  neighborhood.  The 
valley  lies  in  Rich  county,  the  most  north- 
ern county  in  Utah  Territory,  and  is  about 
25  miles  long,  with  a varying  width. 

! At  Port  Neuf  Gap,  the  river  turns,  and 

tlience  its  course  is  nearly  due  south,  until 

it  empties  into  Great  Salt  Lake,  near  the 
town  of  Corinne.  The  course  of  the 
river  can  best  be  understood  when  we  say 
that  it  resembles  the  letter  U in  shape. 
From  where  it  rises  it  runs  due  north  to 
latitude  42  deg.  80  min.,  then  suddenly 
turning,  it  runs  south  to  latitude  41  deg. 

48  min.,  before  it  finds  the  lake.  Within 
this  bend  lies  the  Wasatch  Mountains,  a 
spur  of  the  Uintah,  a rugged,  rough,  bold, 
but  narrow  range. 

The  entire  region  is  wild  and  pictur- 
esque, and  would  well  repay  the  tourist  for 
the  time  spent  in  visiting  it.  About  sixty 
miles  distant,  to  the  north,  are  the  far-famed 
Soda  Springs,  of  Idaho,  situated  in  Oneida 
county,  Idaho  Territory. 

The  old  route,  by  which  this  northern 
country  was  reached,  was  from  Ogden, 
via  Ogden  Canyon  and  Ogden  Valley; 
now  the  best  route  is  via  Utah  Northern 
railroad  to  Franklin,  and  from  thence 
east ; see  further  on. 

We  now  return  to  the  road,  and  pass 
down  the  valley,  cross  Yellow  Creek,  one 
of  the  tributaries  of  Bear  River,  and  9.5 
miles  from  Millis,  arrive  at 

Kvanston— This  is  a regular  eating 
station,  where  trains  from  the  East  and 
West  stop  80  minutes  for  dinner;  the  wait- 
ers are  Chinese. 

Evanston  is  the  county  seat  of  Uintah 
county,  Wyoming,  957  miles  from  either 
Omaha  or  San  Francisco— half  way 
between  the  Missouri  River  and  the  Pa- 
cific Ocean.  The  Railroad  Company  have 
erected  a 20-stall  round-house,  repair  shops, 
hotel,  freight  and  passenger  buildings, 
and  the  place  has  improved  otherwise 
very  much.  It  now  contains  about  1,200 
white  and  about  150  Chinese  inhabitants. 
The  town  boasts  of  some  good  buildings— 
including  a fine  court-house.  The  Age^  a 
weekly  newspaper,  is  published  here. 

The  citizens  of  Evanston  are  mostly  en- 
gaged in  lumbering,^  coke-burning,  coal- 
mining and  stock-raising. 

The  railroad  was  completed  to  this  point 
late  in  the  fall  of  1868,  and  a large  amount 
of  freight  was  delivered  here  for  Salt  Lake 
Valley  and  Montana.  Saw-mills  supply 
lumber  from  the  almost  inexhaustible 
pine  forests  on  Bear  River  to  the  south- 
ward. 

About  three  miles  east  to  the  right  of  the 
road,  and  of  Bear  River  Valley,  is  located 
the  town  of 

Alma — Here  are  located  some  of  the 
most  valuable  coal  mines  on  the  road,  and 

AND  PACIFIC  COAST  GUIDE. 


115 


whicL  supply  large  quantities  to  the  rail- 
road company.  The  mines  are  said  to  be 
very  extensive,  easily  worked,  yielding  coal 
of  good  quality,  and  employ  about  800  men, 
most  of  whom  are  Chinese.  From  150  to 
200  car  loads  are  shipped  from  Alma  per 
day  to  towns  on  the  line  of  the  Central  Pa- 
cific railroad,  to  Virginia  City,  Gold  Hill, 
and  Carson  in  Nevada  and  to  San  Fran- 
cisco. A branch  railroad  has  been  con- 
structed to  the  mines,  leading  off  about 
half  a mile  north  of  Evanston. 

Soon  after  leaving  Evanston  we  leave 
Bear  River  to  the  right,  and  follow  up  a 
beautiful  little  valley  eleven  miles  to 

Wasatch — This  station  was  once  a 
regular  eating  station,  with  round-house 
and  machine  shops  of  the  company  located 
here,  but  a change  has  been  made  to 
Evanston,  and  the  place  is  now  deserted. 

Four  miles  west  we  cross  the  dividing 
line  between  Wyoming  and  Utah  Territo- 
ries. It  is  marked  by  a sign-board  beside 
the  road,  on  which  is  painted  on  one  side, 
“Wyoming,’’  the  other  “Utah.” 

Game  is  found  in  the  hills— deer,  elk, 
and  antelope — and  in  the  Uintah  and  Wa- 
satch ranges,  brown,  black  and  cinnamon 
bear  are  common,  and  in  all  the  little 
streams,  fish  of  different  kinds  are  abun- 
dant— trout  particularly. 

On  leaving  Wasatch,  we  arrive  at  the 
divide  and  head  of  Echo  Canon,  one-half 
mile  distant.  Here  we  find  the  longest 
tunnel  on  the  road,  770  feet  in  length,  cut 


through  hard  red  clay  and  sandstone. 
When  the  tunnel  was  completed,  it  was  ap- 
proached from  the  east  by  two  long  pieces 
of  trestle-work,  one  of  which  was  230  feet 
long  and  30  feet  high;  the  other  450  feet 
long  and  75  feet  high,  which  have  since 
been  filled  in  with  earth.  The  tunnel 
opens  to  the  westward,  into  a beautiful 
little  canyon,  with  a narrow  strip  of  grassy 
bottom  land  on  either  side  of  a miniature 
stream,  known  as  the  North  Fork  of  Echo. 
The  hills  are  abrupt,  and  near  the  road, 
leaving  scarcely  more  than  room  for  a 
roadway,  including  the  grassy  land  re- 
ferred to.  Along  these  bluffs,  on  the  left- 
hand  side  of  the  stream,  the  road-bed  has 
been  made  by  cutting  down  the  sides  of 
the  hills  and  filling  hollows,  in  some  pla- 
ces from  50  to  75  feet  deep. 

Before  the  tunnel  was  completed,  the 
road  was  laid  temporarily  from  the  divide 
into  Echo  Canyon  by  a Z or  zigzag  track, 
which  let  the  cars  down  to  the  head  of  the 
canyon — under  the  trestles  above  named. 
The  great  difficulty  to  overcome  by  the 
railroad  company  in  locating  the  road 
from  this  point  into  Salt  Lake  Valley  was 
the  absence  of  spurs  or  sloping  hills  to 
carry  the  grade.  Every  thing  seems  to 
give  way  at  once,  and  pitch  headlong  away 
to  the  level  of  the  lake.  The  rim,  or 
outer  edge,  of  the  table-lands,  breaks  ab- 
ruptly over,  and  the  streams  which  make 
out  from  this  table-land,  instead  of  keep- 
ing their  usual  grade,  seem  to  cut  through 


116  crofutt’s  new  overland  tourist 


the  rim  and  drop  into  the  valley  below, 
there  being  no  uplands  to  carry  them. 

By  the  present  line  of  road,  the  cars 
enter  Echo  Canyon  proper  at  the  little  sta- 
tion of 

Castle  Rock — 8.4  miles  from 
Wasatch.  This  station  derives  its  name 
from  the  long  line  of  sandstone  bluffs  on 
the  right-hand  side  of  the  canyon,  which 
are  worn  and  torn  away  until,  in  the  dis- 
tance, they  have  the  appearance  of  the  old 
feudel  castles,  so  often  spoken  of,  but  so 
seldom  seen,  by  modern  tourists.  For  a 
long  distance  these  rocks  line  the  right- 
hand  bank  of  the  canyon,  their  massive 
red  sandstone  fronts  towering  from  500  to 
1,500  feet  above  the  little  valley,  and  bear- 
ing the  general  name  of  “ Castle  Rocks.” 

The  cars  descend  the  canyon  amid  some 
of  the  grandest  and  wildest  scenerj^  imag- 
inable. We  do  not  creep  along  as  though 
we  mistrusted  our  powers,  but  with  a snort 
and  roar  the  engine  plunges  down  the  de- 
file, which  momentarily  increases  to  a 
gorge,  only  to  become,  in  a short  distance, 
a grand  and  awful  chasm.  About  7,2 
miles  below  Castle  Rock,  the  traveler  can 
behold  the  Natural  Bridge,  a conglomerate 
formation,  spanning  a cleft  in  the  wall  on 
the  right-hand  side.  This 

Hang^ing  Rock— of  Echo  has  more 
than  a local  reputation — see  illustration, 
page  39.  It  gave  the  name  to  one  of  the 
overland  stage  stations,  when  the  comple- 
tion of  this  road  was — but  in  the  dreams  of 
its  sanguine  projectors — an  undefined  and 
visionary  thing  of  the  future. 

The  left  hand  side  of  the  canyon  pre- 
sents but  few  attractions  compared  with  the 
bolder  and  loftier  bluffs  opposite.  The 
wall  breaks  away  and  recedes  in  sloping, 
grassy  hillsides,  while  we  know  not  what 
lies  beyond  these  walls  to  the  right,  for 
they  close  the  view  in  that  direction. 
Wall,  solid  wall,  broken  wall,  walls  of 
sandstone,  walls  of  granite,  and  walls  of  a 
conglomerate  of  both,  mixed  with  clay, 
rise  far  above  us,  and  shut  from  our  vision 
whatever  lies  beyond. 

The  beauties  of  Echo  Canyon  are  so 
many,  so  majestic,  so  awe-inspiring  in  their 
sublimity,  that  there  is  little  use  in  calling 
the  traveler’s  attention  to  them.  But  as  we 
rush  swiftly  along,  seemingly  beneath  these 
towering  heights,  we  can  note  some  of  the 
more  prominent  features. 

The  only  difiiculty  will  be  that  one  will 
hardly  see  them  all,  as  the  cars  thunder 
along,  waking  the  echoes  among  these 


castellated  monuments  of  red  rock,  whose 
towering  domes  and  frowning  buttresses 
gave  the  name  to  this  remarkable  opening 
in  the  Wasatch  Mountains.  Four  miles 
below  Hanging  Rock  the  walls  rise  in 
massive  majesty — the  prominent  features 
of  the  canyon.  Rain,  wind  and  time  have 
combined  to  destroy  them,  but  in  vain. 
Centuries  have  come  and  gone  since  that 
mighty  convulsion  shook  the  earth  to  its 
center,  when  Echo  and  Weber  canyons 
sprung  into  existence — twin  children — 
whose  birth  was  heralded  by  throes  such 
as  the  earth  may  never  feel  again,  and  still 
the  mighty  wall  of  Echo  remains,  bidding 
defiance  alike  to  time  and  his  co-laborers — 
the  elements ; still  hangs  the  delicate  fret 
and  frost  work  from  the  walls;  still  the 
pillar,  column,  dome  and  spire  stand  boldly 
forth  in  all  their  grand,  wild  and  weird 
beauty  to  entrance  the  traveler,  and  fill  his 
mind  with  wonder  and  awe. 

About  six  miles  below  Hanging  Rock, 
up  on  the  topmost  heights  of  the  towering 
cliffs,  a thousand  feet  above  the  bed  of  the 
canyon,  can  be  seen  the  fortifications 
erected  by  the  Mormons  to  defend  this 
pass  against  the  army  under  Johnson,  sent 
out  in  1857  by  Uncle  Sam.  These  fortifi- 
cations consist  of  massive  rocks,  placed  on 
the  verge  of  the  precipice,  which  were  to 
be  toppled  over  on  the  heads  of  the  sol- 
diers below,  but  the  experiment  was  never 
made,  so  the  rocks  remain  to  be  used  on 
some  other  foe,  or  as  the  evidences  of  a 
people’s  folly. 

On  goes  the  engine,  whirling  us  past 
castle,  cathedral,  towering  column  and 
rugged  battlement,  past  ravines  which  cut 
the  walls  from  crest  to  base  in  awful 
chasms,  shooting  over  bridges  and  flying 
past  and  under  the  overhanging  walls  (see 
Steamboat  Rock,  Annex  No.  19),  when, 
after  crossing  Echo  Creek,  thirty-one  times 
in  twenty-six  miles,  we  rush  past  the 
Witches’  Cave  and  Pulpit  Rock,  our  en- 
gine giving  a loud  scream  of  warning  to 
the  brakemen,  who  “throwing  on  the 
brakes,”  bring  the  train  to  a stop,  and  we 
get  out  once  more  to  examine  the  country, 
Weber  River  and  Echo  City  station. 

Before  we  take  a final  leave  of  Echo 
Canyon  we  will  relate  an  incident,  thrill- 
ing in  its  nature,  but  happily  ending  with- 
out serious  results,  whicli  occurred  there 
during  the  construction  of  the  road  from 
Echo  City  to  the  mouth  of  Weber,  and  is 
known  as  “ Paddy  Miles’  Ride.”— see  An- 
nex No.  20. 


AND  PACIFIC  COAST  GUIDE. 


117 


Directly  ahead  of  our  train,  as  it  emerges 
from  Echo  Canyon,  coming  in  from  the 
south,  is 

Weber  Eiver — This  stream  rises  in 
the  Wasatch  Mountains,  70  miles  to  the 
south,  its  waters  being  supplied  by  thou- 
sands of  springs,  many  larger  tributaries, 
and  the  everlasting  snows  of  this  rugged 
mountain  range.  It  empties  into  the 
Great  Salt  Lake,  just  below  Ogden,  about 
50  miles  from  Echo  City.  The  valley  of 
the  Weber,  from  Echo  City  up  to  its 
source,  is  very  fertile,  and  thickly  settled 
by  the  Mormons.  Three  miles  above  this 
station  is  Chalk  Creek, where  a fine  coal- 
bank  has  been  discovered.  Three  miles 
beyond  this  point  is  Coalville,  a Mormon 
settlement  of  800  inhabitants— a thriving 
village.  Its  name  is  derived  from  the 
carboniferious  formations  existing  there. 
The  coal-beds  are  extensive,  some  of  the 
veins  being  of  good  quality,  others  being 
lignite.  The  S^ummit  County  railroad,  a 
narrow-gauge,  is  completed  from  Echo 
City  to  Coalville,  seven  miles,  with  a 
branch  to  an  extensive  coal  mine,  five 
miles  further.  The  track  leaves  Echo  City 
and  passes  along  close  below  the  Union 
track  at  Pulpit  Rock. 

Seven  miles  beyond  Coalville  is  the 
pleasant  village  of  Winship,  situated  at  the 
junction  of  Silver  Creek  and  Weber  River, 
containing  1,000  inhabitants.  The  “old 
stage  road  ” followed  up  Weber  to  this 
point,  thence  up  Silver  Creek  via  Parley 
Park,  and  thence  to  Salt  Lake  City,  50 


miles  distant  from  Echo. 

Parley  Park — This  is  a beautiful  val- 
ley on  the  old  stage  road,  about  five  miles 
long  by  three  miles  wide.  It  is  very  fer- 
tile, producing  fine  crops  of  small  grain. 
Several  hundred  settlers  have  located  and 
made  themselves  homes.  There  is  a fine 
hotel,  once  kept  as  a stage  station,  now 
kept  by  William  Kimball,  eldest  son  of 
Keber  C.  Fish,  in  any  desired  quantity, 
can  be  caught  in  the  streams,  and  game  of 
many  varieties,  including  deer  and  bears, 
inhabit  the  adjoining  mountains.  It  is  one 
of  those  pleasant  places  where  one  loves 
to  linger,  regrets  to  leave,  and  longs  to 
visit  again.  We  advise  tourists  to  visit  it; 
they  will  not  regret  a week  or  a month 
among  the  hills  and  streams  of  the  Upper 
Weber.  Near  this  point  gold  and  silver 
mines  have  been  discovered — which  prove 
very  rich,  chief  of  which  is  the  Ontario 
Mine,  the  most  productive  in  Utah,  and 
the  prospects  now  are  that  the  “ Park  ” will 
become  quite  a great  mining  center.  Re- 
turning, we  stop  a few  moments  at 
flcho  City  — The  town  is  situated  at 
the  foot  of  the  bluff,  which  towers  far 
above  it,  9.4  miles  from  Hanging  Rock. 
As  the  cars  enter  the  city  from  Echo  Can- 
on, they  turn  to  the  right,  and  close  at  the 
ase  of  the  clift’,  on  the  right,  stands  Pulpit 
Rock  (see  illustration)  and  the  old  stage 
ranche  on  the  left,  just  where  it  appears 
that  we  must  pitch  off  into  the  valley  and 
river  below.  This  city  is  not  very  inviting, 
unless  you  like  to  hunt  and  fish,  when  a 


PULPIT  ROCK,  MOUTH  OF  ECHO  CANYON,  UTAH. 


118 


crofutt’s  new  overland  tourist 


stay  of  a few  days  would  be  passed  very 
pleasantly. 

Chalk  Creek,  Silver  Creek,  Echo  Creek, 
and  Weber  River,  aflbrd  excellent  Routing, 
while  antelope  are  shot  near  the  city.  The 
mountains  abound  in  bears,  deer  and  elk. 

Echo  contains  about  200  inhabitants,  in- 
cluding those  settlers  near  by  and  the  rail- 
road employes.  Coal  beds,  extensive  ones, 
are  found  near  by,  as  well  as  an  indefinite 
quantity  of  iron  ore,  which  must  possess  a 
market  value,  sooner  or  later. 

Near  Echo  City,  across  the  Weber,  a 
favine  leads  up  the  mountain  side,  wind- 
ing and  turning  around  among  the  gray 
old  crags,  until  it  leads  into  a beautiful 
little  dell,  in  the  center  of  which  reposes 
a miniature  lakelet,  shut  in  on  all  sides  by 
the  hills.  It  is  a charming,  beautiful, 
tiny  little  gem,  nestled  amid  a gray,  grand 
setting  of  granite  peaks  and  pine-clad 
gorges— a speck  of  delicate  etherealized 
beauty  amid  the  strength  and  ruggedness 
of  a coarser  world. 

Weber  Canyon — To  give  a minute  de- 
scription of  this  remarkable  place  we  can- 
not attempt,  as  it  would  fill  a volume 
were  its  beauties  fully  delineated,  and  each 
point  of  interest  noted.  But  as  one  of  the 
grand  and  remarkable  features  of  the  road 
it  demands  a notice,  however  meager,  at 
our  hands.  For  about  40  miles  the  river 
rushes  foaming  along,  between  two  mas- 
sive mountain  walls,  which  close  the  land- 
scape on  either  hand.  Now,  the  torrent 


plunges  over  some  mighty  rock  which  has 
fallen  from  the  towering  clifl:’  1,000  feet 
above;  anon,  it  whirls  around  in  frantic 
struggles  to  escape  from  the  boiling  eddy, 
thence  springing  forward  over  a short, 
smooth  rapid,  only  to  repeat  the  plunge 
again  and  again,  until  it  breaks  forth  into 
the  plains,  whence  it  glides  away  toward 
the  lake,  as  though  exhausted  with  its  wild 
journey  through  the  canyon. 

In  passing  down  the  canyon,  the  traveler 
should  closely  watch,  for  fresh  objects  of 
wonder  and  interest  will  spring  suddenly 
into  sight  on  either  hand. 

From  Echo  City,  the  cars  Speed  along 
the  banks  of  the  Weber  for  about  four 
miles,  when  they  enter  the  Narrows  of 
Weber  Canyon,  through  which  the  road  is 
cut  for  two  miles,  most  of  the  way  in  the 
side  of  the  steep  mountain  that  drops  its 
base  in  the  river-bed. 

Soon  after  leaving  Echo  City,  on  the 
right,  about  100  yards  from  the  road,  and 
300  feet  above  it,  can  be  seen  the  “ Wiches’ 
Rocks,”  a collection  of  red,  yellow  and 
gray  conglomerate  rocks,  standing  out 
from  the  side  of  the  clift',  varying  in  height 
from  20  to  60  feet.  Shortly  after  entering 
the  Narrows,  the 

One  Thousand  Mile  Tree  is  passed— 
a thrifty,  branching  pine— bearing  on  its 
trunk  a sign-board  that  tells  the  western- 
bound  traveler  that  he  has  passed  over 
1,000  miles  of  railway  from  Omaha.  This 
living  milestone  of  nature’s-  planting  has 


ONE  thousand  mile  TREE,  U.  P.  R.  R. 


INTERIOR  VIEW  OF  MORMON  TABERNACLE. 


long  marked  this  place ; long  before  the 
hardy  Mormon  passed  down  this  wild 
gorge;  long  before  the  great  trans-conti- 
nental railroad  was  even  thought  of.  it 
stood  a lonely  sentinal,  when  all  around 
was  desolation ; when  the  lurking  savage 
and  wild  beast  claimed  supremacy,  and 
each  in  turn  reposed  in  the  shade  of  its 
waving  arms.  How  changed  the  scene  ! 
The  ceaseless  bustle  of  an  active,  progres- 
sive age,  the  hum  of  labor,  the  roar  and 
rush  of  the  passing  locomotive,  has  usurped 
the  old  quiet,  and  henceforward  the  Lone 
Tree  will  be, not  a guide  to  the  gloomy  past, 
but  an  index  of  the  coming  greatness  of  a 
regenerated  country. 

Just  below  this  tree,  the  cars  cross  a tres- 
tle bridge  to  the  left  bank  of  the  Weber, 
thence  down  but  a short  distance,  before 
they  cross  over  another  trestle  to  the  right- 
hand  side,  and  then,  almost  opposite  the 
bridge,  on  the  side  of  the  mountain  to  the 
left,  can  be  seen  the 

Devil’s  Slide,  or  serrated  rocks.  This 
slide  is  composed  of  two  ridges  of  granite 
rock,  reaching  from  the  river  nearly  to  the 
summit  of  a sloping,  grass-clad  moun- 
tain. They  are  from  50  to  200  feet  high, 
narrow  slabs,  standing  on  edge,  as  though 
forced  cut  of  the  mountain  side.  The  two 
ridges  run  parallel  with  each  other — about 
10  feet  apart,  the  space  between  being  cov- 
ered with  grass,  wild  flowers  and  climbing 
vines.  (See  illustration,  page  45.) 


Hushing  swiftly  along  past 

Weber  i^oarry— an  unimportant 
side-track,  8.5  miles  from  Echo  City,  we 
soon  lose  sight  of  these  rocks  and  behold 
others  more  grand,  of  different  shapes,  and 
massive  proportions.  The  mountains 
seem  to  have  been  dovetailed  together,  and 
then  torn  rudely  asunder,  leaving  the 
rough  promontories  and  rugged  chasms 
as  so  many  obstacles  to  bar  our  progress. 
But  engineering  skill  has  triumphed  over 
all.  Where  the  road  could  not  be  built 
over  or  around  these  points,  it  is  tunneled 
under.  Now  we  shoot  across  the  river, 
and  dart  through  a tunnel  550  feet  long, 
cut  in  solid  rock,  with  heavy  cuts  and  fills 
at  either  entrance.  Just  before  entering 
this  tunnel,  high  up  to  the  left,  formerly 
stood  “ Finger  &ck,”  as  seen  in  the  illus- 
tration (page  55),  but  which  has  been 
broken  away,  so  as  not  to  be  visible 
now.  The  frowning  clifls  bar  our  further 
way,  and  again  we  cross  the  roaring  tor- 
rent and  burrow  under  the  point  of  an- 
other rocky  promontory.  Here  the  road 
stretches  across  a pretty  little  valley, 
known  as  Round  Valley. 

Dashing  along,  with  but  a moment  to 
spare  in  which  to  note  its  beauties,  we 
enter  the  narrowing  gorge  again,  where 
the  massive  walls  close  in  and  crush  out 
the  green  meadows.  Between  these  lofty 
walls,  with  barely  room  for  the  track  be- 
tween them  and  the  foaming  torrent  at  our 


120 


CROFUTT  S NEW  OVERLAND  TOURIST 


feet;  on,  around  a jotting  point— and  again 
we  emerge  into  a lengthened  widening  of 
the  canyon,  and  we  pause  lor  a moment  at 

Weber  —seven  miles  from  Quarry. 
This  station  lies  between  two  Mormon 
settlements,  which,  taken  in  connection, 
are  called  Morgan  City.  The  villages  are 
separated  by  the  river  which  flows  through 
bottom  lands,  most  of  which  are  under 
cultivation ; population  about  1,000.  There 
are  some  good  buildings  of  brick  and 
stone,  but  the  greater  number  are  of  logs 
and  adobe— sun-dried  bricks.  At  this  sta- 
tion, opposite  the  depot,  the  first  Z.  C.  M. 
I.  appears,  which,  in  Mormon  rendering, 
means  “ Zion’s  Co-operative  Mercantile  In- 
stitution ” — a retail  branch  ot  the  great 
co-operative  house  in  Salt  Lake  City. 

This  valley  shows  the  eflects  of  irriga- 
tion in  Utah.  Wherever  the  land  is  below 
the  irrigating  canals,  and  is  cultivated,  it 
yields  immense  crops.  Grass  grows  all 
the  way  to  the  summit — and  on  the  sum- 
mit— of  nearly  all  these  mountains,  aftord- 
ing  the  best  of  pasturage  all  the  year 
round,  as  the  fall  of  snow  is  light, 
and  enough  of  wdiat  does  fall  is  blown  off 
by  the  wind,  so  that  cattle  and  sheep  can 
find  sufficient  for  their  needs  at  all  seasons. 
The  same  may  be  said  of  the  whole 
slope  of  the  mountains  of  Utah  at  the 
same  altitude. 

Game  of  all  kinds  is  numerous  through- 
out the  same  section,  and  trout  exceedingly 
plenty,  even  in  the  tinyest  little  streams. 
The  road  follows  down  the  right-hand 
bank  through  this  valley  until  just  below 

Peterson— a small,  unimportant  sta- 
tion, 9.7  miles  from  Weber,  when  it 
ci’osses  to  the  left-hand  side,  which  it  fol- 
lows for  four  miles  further,  between  tow- 
ering mountains,  the  valley  now  lost  in  the 
narrow,  gloomy  gorge,  when  suddenly  the 
whistle  shrieks  the  pass-word  as  we  ap- 
proach the 

Devil’s  Gate— a mere  side-track, 
soon  after  leaving  which,  the  brink  of  the 
torrent  is  neared,  and  the  wild  scenery  of 
the  BemVs  Gate  is  before  us.  Onward 
toils  the  long  train  through  a deep  cut  and 
across  the  bridge — 50  feet  above  the  seeth- 
ing cauldron  of  waters,  where  massive, 
frowning  rocks  rear  their  crests  far  up 
toward  the  black  and  threatening  clouds 
which  hover  over  this  witches’  cauldron. 
With  bated  breath  we  gaze  on  this  wild 
scene,  and  vainly  try  to  analyze  our  feel- 
ings, in  which  awe,  wonder,  and  admira- 
tion arc  blended.  We  have  no  time  for 


thought,  as  to  how  or  when  this  mighty 
work  was  accomplished,  no  time  nor  in- 
clination to  compare  the  work  of  nature 
with  the  puny  work  beneath  us,  but  on- 
ward, with  quickened  speed,  down  the  ' 
right-hand  bank  of  the  stream ; on  betw9tn 
these  massive  piles,  worn  and  seamed  in 
their  ceaseless  struggles  against  the  de- 
stroying hand  of  time ; on  to  where  }^on 
opening  of  light  marks  the  open  counxy ; ' 
on,  past  towering  mountain  and  toppling 
rock,  until  we  catch  a view  of  the  broal, 
sunlit  plains,  and  from  the  last  aid 
blackest  of  the  buttresses  which  guard  tie 
entrance  into  Weber,  we  emerge  to  lig'at 
and  beauty,  to  catch  the  first  view  of  the 
Great  Salt  Lake,  to  behold  broad  plains 
and  well-cultivated  fields  which  stretct  ; 
their  lines  of  waving  green  and  golder  j 
shades  beyond  I 

Pintail  {Station— We  have  now  ' 
passed  through  the  Wasatch  Mountains, 
and  are  fairly  in  the  Great  Salt  Lake  Y al- 
ley. The  elevation  at  this  point  is  4,560 
feet,  2,319  feet  lower  than  Wasatch,  58 
miles  to  the  eastward.  Uintah  is  4.5 
miles  from  the  Devil’s  Gate. 

Near  the  station,  on  this  broad  bottom, 
in  1862,  was  the  scene  of  the  Morrisite 
massacre. 

Here  500  men  of  Brigham  Young’s 
Mormon  Legion,  and  500  men  who  volun- 
teered  for  the  occasion,  with  five  pieces  of 
artillery,  commanded  by  Robert  T.  Bur- 
ton, attacked  the  “ Morrisites,”  and  after 
three  days’  skirmishing,  and  after  a score 
or  more  had  been  killed,  the  “ Morrisites  ” 
surrendered.  The  noble  Burton,  after  the 
surrender,  took  possession  of  everything 
he  could  find  in  the  name  of  the  Church 
shot  down  their  leader,  Joseph  Morris— 
an  apostate  Mormon — whose  only  fault 
was  that  he  claimed  to  be  the  true  Prophet 
of  God,  instead  of  Brigham  Young.  This 
man  Burton,  at  the  same  time  shot  and 
killed  two  women  who  dared  to  beg  him  to 
save  the  life  of  their  Prophet. 

The  followers  of  Morris  consisted  of 
about  90  able-bodied  men,  mostly  unarmed, 
and  over  300  old  men,  women  and  chil- 
dren. The  prisoners  were  all  taken  to 
Salt  Lake  City,  and  condemned,  and  those 
who  were  able  to  work  had  their  legs  or- 
namented with  a ball  and  chain^  and  were 
put  to  picking  stone  to  build  the  Mormon 
temple.  On  the  9th  of  March,  1863,  these 
parties  were  all  pardoned  by  Hon.  S.  S. 
Harding,  who  had  that  spring  arrived  in 
Utah  as  Governor  of  the  Territory. 


AND  PACIFIC  COAST  GUIDE. 


121 


Leaving  Uintah,  the  road  winds  around 
to  the  right  and  follows  the  base  of  the 
mountains,  with  the  river  on  the  left.  The 
country  is  fertile  and  dotted  with  well- 
tilled  farms.  As  we  run  along  down  the 
Weber  River,  and  7.5  miles  from  Uintah, 
we  reach 

Ogden — the  j unction  of  Union  and  Cen- 
tral Pacific  railroads.  The  distance  from 
Omaha  is  1,032  miles;  from  San  Francisco 
882  miles ; from  Salt  Lake  City,  36  miles ; 
elevation,  4,301  feet.  Near  the  station 
building  are  the  depots  of  the  Utah  Cen- 
tral and  the  Utah  Northern  railroads. 

All  passengers,  baggage,  mail,  and  ex- 
press, “ change  cars  ” at  this  station.  Pas- 
sengers who  have  through  tickets  in  sleep- 
ing cars  will  occupy  the  same  numbers  in 
the  Central  as  they  had  in  the  Union,  and 
those  who  had  their  baggage  checked 
through  need  give  it  no  attention;  but 
those  who  only  checked  to  this  place — to 
the  end  of  the  U.  P.  road — will  need  to 
see  that  it  is  re-checked . At  this  station, 
trains  stop  a full  hour,  and  sometimes  a 
little  longer— much  depending  upon  the 
amount  of  matter  to  be  changed  from  one 
train  to  another. 

The  station  building  stands  between  the 
tracks,  in  which  passengers  will  find  a 
dining  room,  where  they  can  have  ample 
time  to  eat  a good  “square  meal  ’’—price 
$1 .00.  Most  of  the  buildings  at  the  station 
are  of  wood,  but  the  necessary  grounds 
have  been  secured  near  by  for  the  erection 
of  a “Union  Depot,”  When  will  it  be 
done?  (^\iien  sabe? 

Ogden  City  is  situated  two  miles  east 
from  the  depot,  at  the  mouth  of  Ogden 
Canyon,  one  of  the  gorges  which  pierce 
the  Wasatch  range,  and  between  the  Weber 
and  Ogden  rivers.  Population,  about 
6,500.  This  is  the  county  seat  of  Weber 
county,  and  has  amply  provided  itself  with 
all  needful  county  buildings.  The  Mor- 
mons have  a tabernacle,  and  several  other 
denominations  have  places  of  worship 
here.  The  citizens  are  mostly  Mormon, 
and  all  public  improvements  are  under 
their  supervision.  It  is  a poor  place  for 
“ carpet-baggers.” 

The  waters  of  the  Ogden  River  are  con- 
ducted through  the  streets,  and  used  in  the 
gardens  and  fields  for  irrigating,  the  re- 
sult of  which  is  that  the  city  is  in  the 
midst  of  one  great  fiower  garden  and  for- 
est of  fruit  and  shade  trees.  In  the  gar- 
dens are  fruit  trees  of  all  kinds,  which 
bear  abundantly,  and  in  the  fields  are 


raised  immense  crops  of  grain  and  vege- 
tables. 

Rich  mines  of  iron,  silver  and  slate 
are  reported  near  the  city,  but  little  has 
been  done  towards  developing  them. 

Ogden  has  several  good  hotels,  chief  of 
which  is  the  Utah  House.  Two  news- 
papers are  published  here,  the  Daily  Junc- 
tion and  the  Freeman,  weekly. 

The  Wasatch  Mountains  rise  some  thou- 
sands of  feet  above  the  city,  and  the  tourist 
would  find  much  of  interest  in  a stroll  up 
the  mountain  side  and  along  the  canyons. 
Ogden  Canyon  is  about  five  miles  long,  and 
from  its  mouth  to  its  source,  from  plain  to 
mountain  top,  the  scenery  is  grand  and  im- 
posing. In  places  the  granite  walls  rise  on 
each  side  1,500  feet  high,  and  for  a consid- 
erable distance  not  more  than  150  feet  apart. 
About  six  miles  from  Ogden,  up  in  the 
mountains  behind  the  town,  is  a lovely  lit- 
tle valley  called,  “ The  Basin,”  watered  by 
mountain  streams  and  covered  with  a lux- 
uriant growth  of  grass. 

Before  proceeding  further,  we  will  take  a 
hasty  glance  at 

Utah  Territory. 

This  territory  extends  from  the  87th  to 
the  42d  parallel  of  north  latitude,  and  from 
the  109th  to  the  114th  degree  of  west  longi- 
tude, containing  a superficial  area  of  about 
65,000  square  miles,  with  a population  of 
about  130,000  whites,  Indians  and  Chinese. 
This  area  includes  large  tracts  of  wild 
mountainous  and  barren  country.  At  pres- 
ent, most  of  the  lands  under  cultivation 
and  the  meadow  lands  are  around  the 
lakes  and  in  the  neighboring  mountain  val- 
leys, and  are  very  productive  when  irri- 
gated ; grains,  fruits  and  vegetables  matur- 
ing readily,  and  yielding  large  returns — 
the  aridity  of  the  climate  precluding  the 
growing  of  crops  by  any  other  means. 

Opposite  title  page  of  this  book,  see  illus- 
tration— Utah’s  Best  Crop. 

Rich  veins  of  gold,  silver,  coal,  iron,  cop- 
per, zinc,  cinna&r,  antimony,  and  nearly 
all  the  metals  found  in  the  “Great  West,” 
exist  in  Utah,  and  it  is  the  opinion  of  most 
men,  had  it  not  been  for  the  “ Councils”  of 
Brigham  Young  to  his  followers,  the  Mor- 
mons, not  to  prospect  for  minerals,  Utah 
might  to-day  be  an  honored  State,  in  the 
great  family  of  States,  with  a developed 
mineral  wealth,  second  only  to  California, 
and  possibly  the  first.  The  whole  country 
within  her  borders  would  be  illuminated 


122  crofutt’s  new  overland  tourist 


with  the  perpetual  fires  of  her  “ smelting 
furnaces,”  and  resound  with  the  thundering 
echoes  and  re-echoes  of  the  thousands  of  de- 
scending stamps  grinding  out  the  wealth, 
which,  since  the  completion  of  the  Pacific 
railroad,  and  the  consequent  influx  of 
“ Gentiles  ” has  been  exported  by  mil- 
lions and  most  effectually  demonstrated  the 
fact  that  Utah,  if  not  the  richest,  is  certainly 
next  to  the  richest  silver-mining  country  in 
the  world. 

Besides  the  above,  brimstone,  saltpeter, 
gypsum,  plumbago  and  soda  have  been  dis- 
covered, some  of  which  are  being  worked, 
while  fire-clay,  marble,  granite,  slate,  red 
and  white  sandstone,  limestone  and  kindred 
formations  exist  to  an  almost  unlimited  ex- 
tent. Salt  can  be  shoveled  up  in  its  crude 
state  on  the  shores  of  Salt  Lake,  and  in  the 
southern  part  of  the  Territory,  is  found  by 
the  mountain,  in  a remarkably  transparent 
and  pure  state. 

Iron  ore  exists  in  large  quantities  in 
Iron,  Summit  and  Weber  counties.  Coal 
abounds  in  various  parts,  but  the  principal 
mines  now  worked  are  at  Coalville,  in 
Summit  county  and  in  San  Pete.  The  lat- 
ter yields  a good  quality  of  blacksmith 
coal,  in  large  quantities. 

At  this  time  there  are  about  30  organized 
mining  districts  in  the  Territory.  W e have 
not  the  space  to  devote  to  a description  of 
the  mines,  were  we  able ; they  appear  to  be 
inexhaustible  and  very  rich.  For  a very 
complete  mining  map  of  Utah,  see  page  109. 

Fish  culture  has,  since  1874,  been  re- 
ceiving some  attention,  and  a fish  farm 
with  a superintendent  thereof,  is  located  a 
few  miles  from  Salt  Lake  City. 

There  are  quite  a number  of  smelting 
furnaces  in  operation  in  various  parts  of 
the  Territory,  and  in  Salt  Lake  City. 

Utah  was  first  settled  in  1847.  On  the 
24th  of  July,  the  advance  guard  of  the  Mor- 
mon emigration,  numbering  143  men,  en- 
tered Salt  Lake  Valley;  five  days  later  150 
more  men  arrived  under  Captain  Brown, 
and  on  July  31st,  Great  Salt  Lake  City  was 
laid  out.  At  that  time  the  country  be- 
longed to  the  Kepublic  of  Mexico,  but  by 
the  treaty  of  Gaudaloup  Hidalgo,  in  1848  it 
was  ceded  to  the  United  States. 

The  summers  are  very  warm  and  dry; 
the  winters  mild  and  open.  The  fall  of 
snow  is  light  in  the  valley  and  heavy  in 
the  mountain,  the  melting  of  which  affords 
ample  water  for  irrigating  the  foot-hills  and 
valleys.  Vegetables  of  all  kinds  grow 
astonishingly  large,  and  of  superior  quality. 


Timber  is  not  very  plenty,  and  then,  is 
only  found  in  the  mountains  of  difficult  ac- 
cess. Returning  to  business ; at  Ogden,  we 
will  step  into  the  cars  of  the 

Utah  Central  Railroad^ 

The  principal  offices  of  which  are  at  Salt 
Lake  City. 

John  Sharp, President  and  Superintendent. 

John  Sharp,  Jr., General  Passenger  Agent, 

J.  W.  Fox, Engineer, 

The  Utah  Central  is  36.5  miles  in  length 
and  the  pioneer  road  of  Utah,  excepting 
the  through  line.  May  17, 1869,  just  one 
week  after  the  “love  feast”  of  the  Union 
and  the  Central  at  Promentory,  ground  was 
broken  at  Ogden,  and  the  enterprise  was 
inaugurated  with  due  ceremonies;  Presi- 
dent Brigham  Young  and  the  chief  digni- 
taries of  the  Mormon  church  being  in  at- 
tendance. 

In  about  half  an  hour  after  the  overland 
trains  arrive  at  Ogden  Junction,  the  cars  of 
this  road  roll  up  to  the  depot  for  passengers. 
When  leaving,  the  train  crosses  the  Weber 
River,  on  a fine  bridge ; just  to  the  north  of 
the  depot  passes  through  a deep  cut  and 
comes  out  on  a bench  of  land  that  gradually 
slopes  from  the  mountains  on  the  left,  to  the 
waters  of  the  lake  on  the  right,  six  and 
four  miles  distant,  respectively. 

From  the  car  window,  on  the  right,  a 
good  view  can  be  had  of  a portion  of  Great 
Salt  Lake,  but  the  best  view  is  to  be  had 
from  the  top  of  Promontory  Mountain.  See 
Annex  No.  21.  The  first  station  from 
Ogden  is  16  miles  distant,  along  the  slop- 
ing land  named,  which  is  covered  above 
the  line  of  irrigation,  with  sage,  but  below 
with  the  thrifty  Mormon  farmers.  A wide 
strip  of  land  near  the  Lake  is  valueless, 
owing  to  the  salt  in  the  soil. 

Kaysville — is  an  incorporated  town 
in  Davis  county,  and  is  surrounded  with 
well-cultivated  farms,  finely  kept  gardens, 
with  water  running  through  the  streets, 
and  has  fruit  and  shrubbery  in  profusion. 

The  county  is  comprised  of  five  towns, 
all,  with  one  exception,  traversed  by  our 
road,  within  the  next  15  miles.  The  county 
has  about  7,000  population,  seven  flouring 
mills  and  three  saw  mills. 

Farmington — is  the  next  station, 
five  miles  distant,  being  the  county  seat  of 
Davis  county,  and  contains  good  county 
buildings,  several  flouring  mills,  and  the 
usual  beautiful  surroundings  of  Iruit  trees 
and  orchards,  for  which  all  Mormon  set- 
tlements are  noted. 


AND  PACIFIC  COAST  GUIDE. 


123 


BRIGHAM  YOUNG. — For  sketch  of  life  see  Annex  No.  25. 


Centerville— is  the  next  station,  four 
miles  from  Farmington.  The  description 
of  one  Mormon  village  will  do  for  nearly 
all;  good  farms  and  crops  are  the  rule, 
where  the  land  is  irrigated,  and  none  where 
it  is  not. 

Wood’s  Crossing — comes  next,  two 
miles  further,  being  the  station  for  the  lit- 
tle village  of  Bountiful,  on  the  left,  and  is 
in  the  midst  of  the  best  cultivated  and  best 
producing  land  in  the  Territory. 

The  course  of  our  road  from  Ogden  to 
Salt  Lake  is  almost  due  south,  while  the 
Wasatch  Mountains,  for  30  miles,  describe 


a huge  circle  in  the  middle  to  the  east- 
ward. The  lower  point  of  this  circle  we 
are  fast  approaching,  and  will  reach  in 
about  two  miles,  just  at  the  point  of  the 
mountain  ahead,  where  steam  is  rising. 
There^  under  the  point  of  that  huge  rock, 
boils  up  a hot  spring,  in  a large  volume, 
forming  a creek  several  feet  in  width,  with 
a depth  of  six  inches,  and  it  is  'cery  hot 
There  is  no  nonsense  about  this  spring ; it 
will  boil  an  egg  in  two  minutes. 

The  highest  peak  in  the  mountain, 
close  to  the  eastward  of  these  springs  al- 
luded to,  is  1,200  feet  above  the  valley,  and  is 


I 124 


crofutt’s  new  overland  tourist 


I cal  led  Ensign  Peak— the  “ Mount  of  Propli- 
I ecy,”— where  the  late  Prophet,  Brigham 
Young,  was  wont  to  wrestle  with  the  Lord. 

Just  beyond,  on  the  right,  is  Hot  Spring 
Lake,  which  is  formed  from  the  waters  of 
this  and  others  of  lesser  volume,  near  by. 
This  lake  freezes  over  in  the  winter,  except 
near  the  shore  on  the  northeastern  end,  and 
is  a great  resort  for  skating  parties  from 
; Salt  Lake  City.  Great  Salt  Lake  neDer 
freezes  over — it’s  too  salt. 

Passing  the  lake,  our  road  keeps  straight 
across  a broad  bottom,  while  the  moun- 
tains on  the  left  again  curve  away  to  the 
eastward. 

The  Warm  Spring  buildings,  where  are 
located  the  city  baths,  can  be  seen  beside 
the  mountain  on  the  left,  marked  by  a con- 
tinuous column  of  steam,  rising  near  the 
buildings. 

These  are  the  disputed  springs,  to  obtain 
possession  of  which,  it  is  supposed  by 
many,  Dr.  Robinson  was  murdered.  The 
baths  are  well  patronized  by  invalids,  who 
visit  them  for  health,  relying  on  their  me- 
dicinal qualities  to  remove  their  ailments. 
The  following  is  an  analysis  of  the  water, 
as  made  by  Dr.  Charles  T.  Jackson,  of 
Boston : 

Three  fluid  ounces  of  the  water  on  evap- 
oration to  entire  dryness  in  a platina  cap- 
sule gave  8.25  grains  of  solid,  dry,  saline 


matter. 

Carbonate  of  lime  and  magnesia 0.240  1.280 

Per  oxide  of  iron 0.040  0.208 

I-ime 0 545  2.907 

Chlorine 3.454  18.421 

Soda 2.877  15.348 

Magnesia 0.370  2.073 

Sulphuric  acid 0.703  3.748 


8.229  43.981 

It  is  slightly  charged  with  hydro-sul- 
phuric acid  gas  and  with  carbonic  acid 
gas,  and  is  a pleasant  saline  mineral  water, 
having  valuable  properties  belonging  to 
saline  sulphur  springs.  The  usual  tem- 
perature is  102  degrees  F. 

They  are  one  mile  north  of  Salt  Lake 
City,  and  are  reached  by  stages  hourly. 

Rolling  on  through  the  northern  suburbs 
of  the  city,  a little  over  eight  miles  from 
Wood’s  Crossing,  we  stop  at  the  depot  in 
Salt  Lake,  the  City  of  Zion.  Passengers 
arriving  at  the  depot  will  find  a “ Bus  ” at 
the  eastern  gate  that  will  take  a passenger 
and  his  baggage  to  any  hotel  or  point  in 
the  city  for  50  cents ; or,  at  the  same  gate, 
street  cars,  that  pass  the  door  of  every 
prominent  hotel  in  the  city ; fare,  10  cents, 
or  ten  tickets  for  50  cents. 


^^alt  liake  City— or  “Zion,”  as  the 
city  is  often  called  by  the  Mormon  faith- 
ful, is  one  of  the  most  beautiful  and  pleas- 
antly located  of  cities.  It  is  situated  at  the 
foot  of  a spur  of  the  Wasatch  Mountains, 
the  northern  limits  extending  on  to  the 
“bench”  or  upland,  which  unites  the 
plain  with  the  mountain.  From  the  east 
two  wagon  roads  enter  the  city,  via  Emi- 
grant and  Parley  Canyons. 

The  streets  are  wide,  bordered  with 
shade-trees,  and  laid  out  at  right  angles. 
Along  each  side  of  the  streets  is  a clear, 
cold  stream  of  water  from  the  mountain 
canyons,  which,  with  the  numerous  shade- 
trees  and  gardens,  give  the  city  an  inde- 
scribable air  of  coolness,  comfort  and  re- 
pose. The  city  contains  a population  of 
full  20,000,  is  the  capital  of  the  Territory 
and  county  seat  of  Salt  Lake  county. 
It  has  21  wards  within  its  limits,  and 
is  the  terminus  of  three  railroads.  It 
contains  some  as  fine  business  blocks, 
hotels,  and  private  residences,  as  can  be 
lound  in  any  city  west  of  the  Missouri 
River. 

The  Mormon  church,  besides  its  Taber- 
nacle, has  a bishop  located  in  every  w ard 
of  the  city,  who  holds  ward  meetings  regu- 
larly. The  other  churches  hold  services  in 
four  or  more  places  in  the  city.  The  Ma- 
sons have  five  lodges  in  the  city;  the 
Odd  Fellows  four,  and  some  of  the  other 
fellows  several.  There  are  38  mining  and 
smelting  offices,  five  sampling  and  smelt- 
ing works,  five  iron  foundries,  boiler  and 
brass  works,  two  flouring  mills,  one  woolen 
mill,  nine  hotels,  six  breweries,  two  exten- 
sive marble  works,  and  a score  or  more  of 
small  manufacturing  establishments. 

There  are  four  daily  newspapers.  The 
Deseret  News  is  the  church  organ,  the  Her- 
ald claims  to  be  independent,  the  Tribune 
strong  opposition  Mormon,  and  the  Times. 
Each  of  these  issue  weeklies.  Newspaper 
business  is  nery  precarious  in  Utah,  It’s 
as  fine  an  opening  for  a young  man  to  get 
his  “ teeth  cut,”  as  we  know  of  in  the 
world — he  can  soon  get  a double  and  single 
set  all  around. 

In  the  mercantile  line.  Salt  Lake  City 


Terms  Heard  on  the  Plains. — Lariat”  is 
the  Spanish  name  for  rope.  “ Bronco,”  Califor- 
nia or  Spanish  pony.  “ Bueano,”  (wa-no)  good^ 
EstaBucano,”  (starwa  no)  very  good,  no  better. 
“ No  sabe,”  (sarvey)  don’t  understand.  “ Quien 
sabe,”  (kin  sarvey)  who  knows,  or  do  you  under- 
stand. 


AND  PACIFIC  COAST  GUIDE. 


has  several  establishments  that  would  do 
credit  to  any  city  in  the  Union,  one  of 
which  is 


The  above  cut  represents  the  Mormon 
“ Co-operative  Sign  ” — called  by  the  Gen- 
tiles the  “Bull’s  Eye.”  At  the  Mormon 
Conference,  in  the  fall  of  1868,  all  good 
Mormon  merchants,  manufacturers  and 
dealers  who  desired  the  patronage  of  the 
Mormon  people,  were  directed  to  place 
this  sign  upon  their  buildings  in  a conspic- 
uous place,  that  it  might  indicate  to  the 
people  that  they  were  sound  in  the  faith. 

The  Mormon  people  were  also  directed 
and  warned  not  to  purchase  goods  or  in 
any  manner  deal  with  those  who  refused 
or  did  not  have  the  sign.  The  object 
seemed  to  be  only  to  deal  with  their  own 
people,  to  the  exclusion  of  all  others. 

The  result  of  these  measures  on  the  part 
of  the  church  was  to  force  many  who 
were  Gentiles  or  apostate  Mormons  to 
sacrifice  their  goods,  and  leave  the  Terri- 
tory for  want  of  patronage.  However,  the 
order  was  not  very  strictly  enforced — or 
complied  with;  yet  many  of  these  signs 
are  to  be  seen  in  Salt  Lake  City  and  other 
parts  of  the  Territory  on  buildings  occupied 
by  the  faithful. 

To  more  effectually  carry  out  the  plan 
of  co-operation,  one  great  company  was  to 
be  formed  to  purchase  goods  in  large 
quantities  and  establish  branches  through- 
out all  the  Mormon  settlements.  Such  a 


125 


company  was  organized,  and  incorporated 
with  many  high  Mormon  dignitaries  as 
either  stockholders  or  officers,  and  it  is  now 
known  as  “ Zion’s  Co-operative  Mercantile 
Institution” — with  headquarters  in  Salt 
Lake  City. 

The  “ Z.  C.  M.  I,”  undoubtedly  have  the 
finest  and  largest  building  in  the  city.  It 
is  of  brick,  318  feet  long,  53  feet  in  width, 
three  stories  and  cellar,  and  finished 
throughout  in  the  best  manner.  It  also 
has  an  addition  25  by  195  feet,  and  used 
for  a warehouse ; cost,  $175,000,  built  of 
iron,  stone  and  glass,  but  the  business 
owned  and  conducted  by  the  Walker  Bros, 
is  the  largest  in  Utah,  requiring  jive  differ- 
ent departments,  each  occupying  a large 
building. 

Think  of  it,  “ O ye  people!”  thirt}^  years 
ago  this  whole  country  1,000  miles  in  any 
direction,  was  uninhabited  and  almost  un- 
known to  the  white  race.  The  annual  sales 
of  these  two  establishments  exceed  $5,000,- 
000,  and  with  their  goods,  gathered  here 
from  all  parts  of  the  world,  stand  forth  as 
monuments  of  American  enterprise,  in  an 

AMERICAN  DESERT. 

The  late  President  Brigham  Young’s 
residence  (see  illustration,  page  131,  also 
of  “ Eagle  Gate,”  page  133),  tithing 
house,  printing  office  and  business  offi- 
ces connected  with  the  church  occupy 
an  entire  block,  on  the  bench  of  land  over- 
looking the  city,  which  is  one  of  the  first 
objects  of  interest  visited  by  the  traveler  on 
arriving  in  Salt  Lake  City. 

The  traveler  who  visited  this  city  some 
years  ago — before  the  discovery  of  the 
rich  silver  mines — would  be  surprised  by 
a visit  now,  at  the  remarkable  changes 
noticeable  on  every  hand ; all  is  life  and 
energy ; everybody  seems  to  have  a pocket- 
ful of  certificates  of  mining  property,  and 
you  hear  of  extensive  preparations  making 
on  every  side  with  a view  to  a vigorous 
prosecution  of  various  mining  enterprises. 

The  public  buildings  are  not  very  numer- 
ous. They  consist  of  a court-house,  city 
hall,  city  prison,  theatre,  and 

The  Tabernacle — an  immense  build- 
ing— the  first  object  one  beholds  on  enter- 
ing the  city.  The  building  is  oblong  in 
shape,  having  a length  of  250  feet  from 
east  to  west,  by  150  feet  in  width.  The 
roof  is  supported  by  46  columns  of  cut 
sandstone,  which,  with  the  spaces  between, 
used  for  doors,  windows,  etc.,  constitute  the 
wall.  Prom  these  pillars  or  walls,  the 
roof  springs  in  one  unbroken  arch,  form- 


126  crofutt’s  new  overland  tourist 


ing  the  largest  self-sustaining  roof  on  the 
continent,  with  one  notable  exception — the 
Grand  Union  Depot  erected  by  the  late 
Commodore  Vanderbilt  in  New  York.  The 
ceiling  of  the  roof  is  65  feet  above  the  floor. 
In  one  end  of  this  egg-shaped  building  is 
the  organ — the  second  in  size  in  America. 
The  Tabernacle  is  used  for  church  pur- 
poses, as  well  as  other  large  gatherings  of 
the  people.  With  the  gallery,  which  ex- 
tends across  both  sides  and  one  end  of  this 
immense  building,  it  will  seat  8,000  people 
— see  illustration,  page  103,  also  interior 
view,  page  119. 

The  Temple— This  building— a flne  il- 
lustration of  which  will  be  found  on  page 
69,  is  not  yet  completed,  but  work  is  pro- 
gressing steadily,  and  it  is  up  about  20 
feet.  The  dimensions  of  the  foundations 
are  99x18634  feet.  The  site  of  the  Tem- 
ple is  on  the  eastern  half  of  the  same  block 
with  the  Tabernacle. 

Since  the  advent  of  railroads  into  Utah, 
and  the  discovery  of  the  rich  mines, 
church  property  has  not  accumulated  very 
rapidly.  Within  the  past  few  years  nearly 
all  the  religious  denominations  have  se- 
cured a foothold  in  this  city. 

Camp  Douglas — a military  post,  estab- 
lished October  26,  1862,  by  Gen.  E.  P. 
Conner,  Third  Regiment  of  California  Vol- 
unteer Infantry,  is  situated  on  the  east  side 
of  the  Jordan,  four  miles  from  that  stream, 
three  miles  east  of  the  City  of  Salt  Lake, 
and  fifteen  miles  southeast  of  Salt  Lake. 
Latitude,  40  deg.  46  min.  2 sec.;  longi- 
tude, 111  deg.  53  min.  34  sec.  Its  location 
is  on  a sloping  upland  or  bench  at  the  base 
of  the  mountains  and  overlooking  the  city, 
and  affords  a flne  view  of  the  country  to 
the  west  and  south. 

Jordan  River — This  stream,  which  bor- 
ders Salt  Lake  City  on  the  west,  is  the  out- 
let of  Utah  Lake,  which  lies  about  forty 
miles  south.  It  empties  into  the  Great 
Salt  Lake,  about  twelve  miles  northwest  of 
the  city. 

There  are  a great  many  hotels  in  Salt 
Lake  City,  but  the  principal  ones  are  the 
Walker,  Townsend,  White,  Clifl*,  Valley, 
and  the  Salt  Lake  House. 

We  have  to  record  one  important  innox^a- 
tioTfh  that  has  recently  been  introduced  into 
the  hotel  business  in  Utah.  Yes,  and  we 
will  give  you  a picture  of  the  house  that 
originated  it. 

The  “good,  old-fashioned  way”  of  imparting 
knowledge  to  dull  pupils— By  rule,  paddling  it  in 
through  the  pores  of  the  skin. 


This  house,  in  addition  to  its  being  first- 
class  in  every  particular,  with  steam  ele- 
vator and  central  location,  furnishes  its 
guests  a competent  guide  free  of  charge,  to 
conduct  them  to  all  places  of  interest  in 
the  city,  introduce  them  to  prominent  per- 
sonages when  required,  and  give  all  needed 
information.  G.  S.  Erb,  Esq.,  is  proprietor, 
and  the  Walker  Bros,  are  the  owners  of 
this  house,  which  fact  is  a sufficient  guar- 
antee that  the  innovation  is  one  to  be  de- 
pended upon. 

The  picture  of  the  late  President,  Brig- 
ham Young,  on  page  123,  was  the  last 
one  ever  taken.  It  was  made  by  Mr.  Sav- 
age of  Salt  Lake  City,  an  eminent  artist, 
and  is  said  to  be  a very  accurate  picture. 

For  sketch  of  the  life  of  Brigham 
Young,  see  Annex  No.  25. 

For  little  items  worth  knowing  about 
Salt  Lake  City,  see  Annex  No.  22. 


We  will  now  take  a run  over  all  the 
railroads  in  Utah,  commencing  with  the 

Utah  Southern  Railroad. 

Principal  office.  Salt  Lake  City. 

John  Sharp President  and  Superintendent. 

John  Sharp,  Jr General  Passenger  Agent. 

J.  W.  Fox Engineer. 

This  road  is  practically  a continuation 
of  the  Utah  Central.  It  was  commenced 
May  1st,  1871,  and  built  thirteen  miles 
during  the  year,  to  Sandy,  and  then  ex- 
tended, from  time  to  time,  until,  at  this 
time,  March  1st,  1878,  it  is  completed  75 
miles  south,  to  the  terminus. 

The  cars  start  from  the  same  depot  as 
the  Central. 

We  will  step  on  board,  and  roll  south- 
ward along  through  the  city — passing  fine 


AND  PACIFIC  COAST  GUIDE.  127 

residences,  beautiful  gardens,  thrifty  or- 
chards, and  well-cultivated  fields,  with  the 
Jordan  River  on  our  right,  the  Oquirrh 
range  of  mountains  far  in  the  distance, 
and  the  towering  Wasatch  Mountains  on 
our  left ; this  is  Jordan  Yalley.  This  val- 
ley extends  from  Salt  Lake  City,  south,  to 
Utah  Lake,  about  40  miles  distant,  with  a 
varying  width  of  from  two  to  twelve  miles. 

About  five  miles  south,  on  the  left,  is 
situated  the  Morgan  Smelting  Works,  on 
the  creek  that  comes  down  from  Big  Cot- 
tonwood, and  opposite  Parley  Canyon, 
which  can  be  seen  on  the  east,  just  below 
the  mouth  of  which  is  located  the  State 
Penitentiary,  and  the  Utah  Woolen  Mill. 

Crossing  the  creek,  and  passing  on  seven 
miles  from  the  city,  we  come  to 

Little  Cottonwood — the  first  station. 
On  the  left  are  the  Wasatch  Smelting 
Works,  and  a little  beyond  the  American 
Smelting  Works.  Just  after  crossing  the 
Little  Cottonwood  Creek,  on  the  right,  is 
the  big  Germania  Smelting  and  Refining 
Works,  with  the  town  of  Germania,  con- 
taining 500  inhabitants. 

Passing  along,  on  the  right,  can  be  seen 
great  piles  of  silver  ore — “ matte  ” as  it  is 
called. 

From  this  point  the  mountain  view  is 
grand;  to  the  eastward,  the  canyons  of 
Parley,  Mill  Creek,  Big  and  Little  Cotton- 
wood, and  Dry  Creek,  are  all  in  view. 

The  country  here  shows  what  irriga- 
tion is  doing  for  it ; there  can  be  no  finer 
lands  or  crops  than  are  here  found.  In 
every  direction  the  land  is  covered  with  a 
labyrinth  of  canals  and  ditches,  conduct- 
ing the  essence  of  life  to  all  vegetation  be- 
neath them,  and  literally  causing  the  land 
to  fiow  with  “ milk  and  honey.” 

Five  miles  further  we  come  to 

Junction — a small  station,  where  all 
passengers  for  West  Mountain,  Bingham 
Canyon  Mines,  and  the  vicinity,  “ change 
cars  ” for  those  of  the 

Bing^ham  Canyon  Railroad. 

Oflacial  Headquarters,  Salt  Lake  City. 

C.  W.  Schofield President. 

Ezra  Humphrey.  ..Treosarer  cfc  Superintendent. 

This  road  is  a three-foot  narrow  gauge, 
completed  to  the  mouth  of  Bingham  Can- 
yon, 16  miles  west,  and  had  cars  running 
December  1st,  1873.  Let  us  take  a roll 
over  it. 

Leaving  the  junction,  our  course  is  due 
west,  through  a well-cultivated  section  of 
country. 

JoBDAN  Station — is  one  mile  distant, 
where  there  is  a postofiice,  and  a small 
collection  of  cottages.  Near  by,  a track 
leads  off  to  the  Old  Telegraph  Smelter, 
the  dressing  works  of  which  are  a short 
distance  below  the  road,  on  the  opposite 
side  of  the  Jordan  River,  which  we  cross 
soon  after  leaving  the  station. 

Just  as  we  raise  on  to  the  west  bank  of 
the  Jordan,  we  come  to  the  residence  of 
Bishop  Gardner,  who  is  the  “ better  half  ” 
of  eleven  wives.  The  Bishop  appears  to 
stand  it  pretty  well,  although  they  do  say 
that  he  is  occasionally  found  singing,  “ On 
Jordan’s  stormy  banks  I stand,”  with  a 
tear  accompaniment. 

West  Jordan — is  on  the  west  bank  of 
the  river  and  contains  a few  hundred  peo- 
ple. From  this  station,  the  grade  in- 
creases, and  soon  we  reach  a high  table- 
land, too  high  for  irrigation  by  ditches, 
without  great  expense.  Bunchgrass,  white 
sage,  sheep,  some  cattle,  and  J ack-rabbits 
abound — the  latter  are  very  numerous. 

The  road,  about  five  miles  from  the 
river,  enters  the  long,  broad  ravine  that 
leads  to  Bingham,  up  which  we  roll — the 
ravine  gradually  becoming  narrower  as 
we  ascend.  Occasionally  we  pass  a little 
farm-house,  and  a few  acres  of  farm  and 
garden  land.  Nearing  the  mountains,  the 
ravine  narrows,  to  a few  hundred  feet,  and 
finally  to  only  sufficient  room  for  the  rail- 
road and  a little  creek,  between  the  bluff's 
on  each  side. 

These  bluff's  are  from  250  to  1,000  feet  in 
height,  covered  with  small  stone,  sage,  and 
a few  small  pine  trees. 

As  we  ascend,  the  bluff's  are  more  pre- 
cipitous, higher  and  pierced  in  numerous 
places  with  “prospect  holes.”  In  places 
the  grade  is  120  feet,  and  then.,  more,  and 
finally  it  becomes  too  much  for  our  iron 
horse,  and  we  stop  at  the  end  of  the  steam 
road,  one  mile  below 

Bingham  City — population  about 
2,000.  Just  below  the  city  is  located  on 
the  left,  the  Winnemucca  mill  and  mine. 
We  know  it  is  there,  as  we  “ prospected  ” it 
once — about  30  feet. 

Bingham  City  is  built  along  the  canyon 
for  two  miles,  and  contains  a number  of 
mills  and  works  connecti  d with  mining. 
From  the  station,  a tramway  up  which 
small  ore  cars  are  hauled  with  mules, 
extends  up  the  canyon  for  three  miles, 
with  a branch  running  back  from  about 
half  the  distance  up  to  a mine  on  the  top  of 
the  mountain,  about  one  and  a half  miles 

128  cuofutt’s  new  overland  tourist 


further,  making  of  tramway  41^  miles; 
whole  length  of  road  201^  miles. 

The  tramway  is  built  on  the  south  side 
of  the  canyon,  away  up  on  the  side  of  the 
mountain.  From  the  cars  can  be  had  a 
fine  view  of  the  canyon,  Bingham,  the 
mines  and  mills  in  the  neighboring  ravines 
and  on  the  opposite  mountain  side,  and  the 
miners  at  the  bottom  of  the  canyon,  working 
over  the  old  “ placer  diggings.” 

At  the  end  of  this  tramway  is  located  the 
old  Telegraph  mine,  one  of  the  richest  in 
the  Territory,  from  which  over  200  tons  of 
ore  a day  is  shipped,  down  over  the  tram 
and  railroad  to  the  smelters  in  the  valley. 
The  cars  are  hauled  up  by  mules,  and  low- 
ered down  to  the  “ iron  horse”  below  Bing- 
ham by  the  car  brakes. 

The  mines  are  numerous  in  and  around 
Bingham,  but  we  have  not  the  space  for  a 
description  of  them,  but  will  return  to  the 
junction  on  the  Utah  Southern,  and  one 
mile  further  arrive  at 

Sandy — This  station  is  13  miles  south  of 
Salt  Lake  City,  and  one  of  considerable  im- 
portance. 

At  Sandy  is  to  be  seen  immense  quanti- 
ties of  ore — ore  in  sacks,  ore  loose  by  the 
car  load,  ore  in  warehouses  500  feet  long, 
with  a train  unloading  on  one  side  and  an- 
other loading  on  the  other ; in  fact,  this  is 
the  greatest  shipping,  smelting  and  sam- 
liling  point  in  all  Utah. 

At  Sandy  are  three  sampling  works,  and 
two  smelting  works,  and  a lively  town  of 
700  inhabitants,  the  greater  portion  em- 
ployed in  the  handling  and  manipulation 
of  ores.  Here  we  find  another  railroad 
branching  off ; this  time  it  is  the 

Wasatch  & Jordan  Valley. 

Principal  offices  at  Salt  Lake  City. 

C.  W.  Schofield President. 

Ezra  Humphrey Treas.  and  Superintendent. 

This  road  is  a three-foot  narrow-gauge, 
16  miles  in  length,  running  to  Alta,  at  the 
head  of  Little  Cottonwood  Canyon.  It  is 
operated  by  narrow  gauge  steam  engines 
for  8.5  miles,  and  the  other  7.5  by  broad 
gauge  The  road  was  commenced 

in  1870,  finished  to  Wasatch  in  1872,  and  to 
Alta  in  1876.  Let  us  take  a trip  over  it  and 
note  a few  of  the  sights. 

From  Sandy  the  train  runs  north  a short 
distance,  and  then  turns  to  the  east,  directly 
for  the  Wasatch  Mountains,  leaving  the  old 
Flagstaff  smelter  on  the  left-hand  side  of 
the  track,  just  above  the  station.  The 
grade  is  heavy,  the  soil  is  stony,  and  cov- 


ered more  or  less  with  sage-brush,  and 
traversed  by  irrigating  ditches  conveying 
the  water  to  a more  productive  and  less 
stony  soil  below. 

Nearing  the  mountains,  about  six  miles 
from  Sandy,  we  come  to  a deep  gorge  on 
the  left,  through  which  Little  Cottonwood 
Creek  has  worn  its  way  to  the  valley.  From 
this  point  we  bear  away  to  the  southward 
around  a low  butte,  then  turn  again  to  the 
east  and  northward  and  run  along  on  an 
elevated  plateau  where  a most  beautiful 
view  can  be  had.  On  the  west,  the  Jordan 
Valley,  in  all  its  magnificent  shades  of 
green  and  gold,  is  at  our  feet,  with  the 
brown  old  mountains  bordering  the  hori- 
zon in  the  distance.  To  the  north,  fifteen 
miles  away,  over  as  beautiful  a succession  of 
little  streams,  well-cultivated  fields,  white 
cottages,  orchards  and  gardens,  as  are  to  be 
found  within  the  same  number  of  miles  in 
this  country — sleeps  “ Zion  ” in  full  view, 
embowered  in  green,  with  the  dome  of  the 
monster  Tabernacle  glistening  like  some 
half-obscured  “ silver  moon,”  sinking  at 
the  mountain  base ; while  far  beyond,  and 
more  to  the  westward,  lays  the  Great  Salt 
Lake — a mysterious  problem.  Away  to 
the  south,  is  Utah  Lake,  looking  like  one 
large  sheet  of  burnished  silver,  surrounded 
by  a net- work  of  green  and  gold,  while  to 
the  east  looms  up  towering  granite  walls, 
cleft  from  summit  to  base,  forming  a nar- 
row gorge  only  sufficiently  wide  to  allow 
our  little  road  to  be  built  beside  a little 
rippling  creek  of  crystal  water. 

Rolling  along,  our  train  rounds  the  head 
of  a ravine,  through  deep  cut,  passes  the 
old  Davenport  Smelting  Works  on  the 
left,  enters  the  mouth  of  the  canyon  be- 
tween great  walls  of  granite,  crosses  and  re- 
crossed  the  little  creek,  and  soon  stops  at 

Wasatch — the  end  ot  the  steam  road, 
8.5  miles  from  Sandy  Junction.  This  is  a 
small  station  with  postoffice,  store,  and  a 
few  dwellings  containing  a population  of 
about  100,  more  than  half  of  whom  are  en- 
gaged in  the  stone  quarries  on  the  north 
side  of  the  station. 

At  Wasatch  all  the  granite  is  got  out  and 
shaped  for  the  Temple  in  Salt  Lake  City. 
The  stone  is  the  best  yet  discovered  in  the 
Territory,  being  of  close,  fine  grain,  of 
light  gray  color,  and  of  beautiful  birds-eye 
appearance.  The  granite  on  the  south  side 
appears  much  darker  than  that  on  the 
north  side  of  the  canyon. 

From  almost  every  nook  and  crevice  of 
these  mountain  cliffs— from  the  station  away 


AXD  PACIFIC  COAST  GUIDE.  129 


up  the  canyon — grow  small  pines,  cedars, 
ferns,  and  mosses,  which,  in  connection 
with  the  gray  walls,  snow-capped  moun- 
tains, glistening  waterfalls,  pure  air  and 
golden  sun,  presents  a picture  of  rare 
beauty. 

Just  above,  on  the  left  of  the  station, 
away  up  on  a projecting  cliff,  1,000  feet 
above  the  road,  stands  a granite  column 
* which  measures  QQ%  feet  in  height,  from 
the  pedestal-like  cliff  on  which  it  stands. 
On  each  side  of  this  column,  and  receding 
from  its  base,  is  a little  grotto-park,  filled 
' with  nature’s  evergreens,  and  surrounded 
on  three  sides  and  on  the  top  with  rocks  of 
every  size  and  shape. 

Finding  that  this  granite  column  has 
had  no  name,  we  name  it  “ Humphry’s 
Peak,”  in  honor  of  the  very  gentlemanly 
I superintendent  of  the  road. 

At  Wasatch  we  “change  cars,”  taking 
those  of  about  the  size  of  an  ordinary 
hand-car,  fitted  up  with  seats  that  will  com- 
fortably accommodate  about  nine  persons, 
besides  the  knight  of  the  whip — who  chir- 
rups the  “ broad  gauge  mules.” 

About  a half-mile  above  the  station  we 
enter  the  snow-sheds,  which  will  continue 
for  seven  miles,  to  the  end  of  the  track  at 

Alta— a small  mining  town,  at  the  head 
of  little  Cottonwood  Canyon.  The  end  of 
the  track  is  on  the  side  of  the  mountain 
about  200  feet  above  the  town  of  Alta,  and 
about  500  feet  below  the  mouth  of  the  cele- 
brated Emma  Mine,  which  is  a little  fur- 
ther to  the  east,  and  opposite  the  Flagstaff* 
Mine,  which  is  about  the  same  height 
above  the  road. 

The  town  of  Alta  is  at  the  bottom  of  the 
canyon  200  feet  lower  than  the  end  of  the 
railroad  surrounded  with  mountain  peaks, 
which  are  covered  with  snow  eight  months 
of  the  year,  and  at  all  times  surrounded 
with  an  eternal  mantle  of  evergreen.  It 
contains  about  500  population,  all  of 
whom  are  engaged  in  mining  and  kindred 
pursuits.  There  are  several  stores,  express, 
telegraph,  and  postoffice,  besides  several 
small  hotels,  chief  of  which  is  the  Adolph. 

To  the  north,  over  the  mountain  two 
miles  is  the  Big  Cottonwood  Canyon ; to 
the  south,  three  miles,  is  the  Miller  Mine, 
and  American  Fork  Canyon ; Forest  City  is 
four  miles.  Three  miles  east  by  trail  is 
Crystal  Lake,  a beautiful  sheet  of  water 
— the  angler’s  paradise. 

The  principal  mines  near  Alta  are,  the 
Emma,  Flagstaff’,  Grizzly,  Nabob,  Kate 
Hays,  Consolidated  Alta,  Laramie,  Prince 
8 


of  Wales,  and  1,800  others,  located  within 
five  miles.  The  business  of  the  railroad 
is  the  transportation  of  ores  and  supplies 
to  and  from  the  mines.  Hundreds  of  cars 
are  loaded  daily  with  ore  that  is  taken  to 
the  valley  to  be  smelted  or  are  sent  to  San 
Francisco,  the  East,  or  to  Swansea,  Wales. 

For  novel  methods  of  hauling  ore  to  the 
depot,  see  Annex  No.  24. 

The  sheds  over  the  railroad  are  seven 
miles  in  length,  and  are  made  in  various 
styles  of  architecture,  more  for  business 
than  beauty,  the  style  being  adopted  accord- 
ing to  circumstances.  They  are,  however,  in 
all  places  constructed  of  heavy  material, 
rocks,  round  or  sawed  timber,  and  built  in 
the  most  substantial  manner.  In  one  place 
they  are  in  the  shape  of  a letter  A,  sharp 
peaked ; in  other  places,  nearly  upright  on 
each  side,  one  side  higher  than  the  other, 
with  a sloping  roof.  Again  the  lower  hill- 
side is  built  with  a little  slope  toward  the 
up  hill  side,  and  long  heavy  timbers  from 
the  top  of  these  uprights  slope  up  onto  the 
mouniain  side,  resting  on  a solid  granite 
foundation  leveled  to  a uniform  grade, 
for  that  purpose. 

Where  the  latter  plan  has  been  adopted, 
there  is  danger  of  snow-slides  which  are 
more  likely  to  occur,  in  fact,  have  occurred  a 
number  of  times  since  the  sheds  were  con- 
structed, and  each  time,  the  snow  and  rocks 
passed  over  the  shed  into  the  canyon  below, 
without  causing  one  cent’s  worth  of  damage 
to  the  road  or  shed. 

The  length  of  this  road,  where  it  is  oper- 
ated with  mules,  is  seven  miles  long.  As 
before  stated,  the  grade  is  600  feet  to  the 
mile ; the  curves  are  in  places  30  degrees, 
and  not,  as  once  stated  in  the  “ Railway 
Age^"''  30  curves  and  600  foot  gauge.  But  we 
suppose  that  Col.  Bridges,  when  he  wrote 
that,  was  thinking  about  those  “broad 
gauge  mules.” 

Returning,  the  mule  power  that  took  us 
up  is  no  longer  in  demand ; the  knight  of 
the  whip  now  mans  the  brakes,  and  away  we 
go  around  the  Age's  30  curves,  to  the  valley 
below,  “change  cars”  at  Sandy,  and  are 
once  more  headed  for  the  south,  on  the 
Utah  Southern  railroad.  A short  distance 
south,  we  pass  the  McIntosh  Sampling  mill, 
on  the  west  and  another  on  the  east. 

Sampling  is  testing  such  ores  as  are  pre- 
sented in  quantities  sufficient  to  enable 
the  sampling  company  to  give  certificates 
of  their  value,  and  then  the  ore  is  sold  at 
the  certificate  rates.  One  mile  further  is 
the  Mingo  Smelter  of  the  Penn.  Lead  Co. 


130  crofutt’s  new 


The  land  is  more  rolling,  as  we  approach 

Draper — This  is  not  a very  important 
station  to  the  tourist,  but  to  the  few  vil- 
lagers of  Herramon,  at  the  mouth  of  a little 
canyon  beside  the  mountains  on  the  left, 
it  is  a big  institution.  Draper  is  four  miles 
from  Sandy  and  seventeen  from  Salt  Lake 
City. 

Leaving  Draper,  our  course  is  east,  and 
after  crossing  South  Willow  Creek,  turns 
more  to  the  south,  and  finally  to  the  west, 
having  kept  around  the  foot  of  the  moun- 
tains, which  here  make  a full  half-circle. 
In  the  distance  around,  there  are  many  cuts 
and  some  hard  work,  and  we  queried,  why 
the  road  was  built  around,  when  the  work 
was  so  heavy  and  the  distance  much  further 
than  across  where  there  was  very  little 
work  to  be  done?  In  answer,  we  were 
told  that  President  Brigham  Young  laid 
out  the  road  around  the  side  of  the  moun- 
tain, by  “ r&oelationy  If  that  is  so,  we  con- 
clude that  the  revelation  came  from  the 
same  “deity”  that  took  our  Savior  up  on 
the  Mount,  but  as  it  is  not  “ our  funeral,” 
we  will  not  criticise. 

The  lower  point  of  the  great  curve  is 
called  the  “ Point  of  theMountain.”  At  the 
point  where  the  railroad  is  built  around, 
the  track  is  about  300  feet  above  a little 
round  valley  to  the  west,  in  which  is  lo- 
cated a hot  spring,  marked  by  a brown 
burned  patch  of  land  and  rising  steam. 

As  our  train  curves  around  this  point,  a 
most  charming  view  can  be  had ; one  of  the 
finest  on  the  road.  The  valley  is  here 
nearer,  to  the  northward  the  view  in  unob- 
structed for  50  miles ; to  the  south,  Utah 
Lake,  a gem  in  rich  setting,  and  the  great 
Lower  Basins. 

Passing  through  numerous  cuts  and 
around  the  point,  the  train  curves  again  to 
the  eastward,  and  starts  again  on  another 
grand  curve  around  the  rim  of  the  basin,  in 
which  is  located  Utah  Lake,  in  plain  view. 

Nearly  opposite  the  “point  of  the  moun- 
tain” is  a low  divide  in  the  Oquirrh  Range 
on  the  west,  over  which  the  road  leads  to 
Camp  Floyd. 

Continuing  along  through  sand  cuts, 
sage  and  an  occasional  farm,  14  miles  from 
Draper  we  arrive  at 

Lehi — This  town  is  situated  in  the  midst 
of  a perfect  forest  of  fruit  trees,  orchards  and 
gardens,  with  the  waters  of  Dry  Canyon 
Creek  running  through  all  the  streets,  and 
contains  a population  of  about  1,500,  includ- 
ing those  living  in  the  immediate  vicinity. 
The  good  results  of  irrigating  sage-brush 


OVERLAND  TOURIST 


land,  are  here  demonstrated  by  the  large 
crops  of  wheat,  oats,  barley  and  vegetables 
produced,  where,  before  the  land  was  irri- 
gated, nothing  but  sage-brush  and  grease- 
wood  were  to  be  seen. 

Three  miles  further  is 

American  Fork — a station  34  miles 
from  Salt  Lake  City — the  “ banner  ” town 
for  free  schools ; also  the  first  in  the  Terri- 
tory, having  been  established  here  in  1869. 
The  streets  are  wide,  with  the  waters  of 
Deer  Creek,  which  comes  down  the  Amer- 
ican Fork  Canyon,  running  through  them, 
and  the  orchards,  gardens  and  farms  in  the 
neighborhood  making  an  attractive  and 
beautiful  town.  The  population  numbers 
about  1,600,  the  greater  portion  of  whom 
are  engaged  in  agricultural  pursuits.  The 
American  Fork  House,  opposite  the  sta- 
tion, is  the  principal  hotel,  and  Robert 
Keppeneck  is  one  of  the  j oiliest  of  German 
hosts. 

To  the  southwest  of  the  station,  a com- 
pany is  engaged  in  building  a dam:  across 
the  Jordan  River  for  irrigating  purposes. 
The  canal  is  to  be  22  feet  wide  on  the  bot- 
tom and  30  inches  deep,  and  when  comple- 
ted will  extend  north  20  miles,  winding 
around  the  base  of  the  Wasatch,  near  our 
road,  keeping  as  far  up  on  the  side  of  the 
mountain  as  possible.  From  the  dam,  a ca- 
nal will  be  taken  out  for  the  west  side  of  the 
Jordan,  with  a view  of  taking  the  water  all 
over  the  lands  as  far  north  as  Salt  Lake 
City,  and  if  possible,  reclaim  the  vast  tract 
of  sage  land  between  the  Jordan  River  at 
Salt  Lake  City,  and  the  Oquirrh  Range,  at 
the  foot  of  Salt  Lake. 

From  this  station  a road  branches  off  to 
the  eastward,  up  American  Fork  Canyon, 
called  the 

American  Fork  Railroad. 

Principal  office.  Salt  Lake  City. 

Gen.  Loyd  Aspinwall President ^ 

Ezra  Humphrey Sec.  and  Superintendent. 

This  is  a three-foot,  narrow  gauge  rail- 
road, 15  miles  in  length ; commenced  May, 
1872,  and  completed  12  miles  during  the 
year.  The  grade  for  the  whole  distance  is 
heavy,  in  places  312  feet  to  the  mile. 

Leaving  the  station  at  American  Fork, 
the  road  turns  directly  to  the  east,  and  fol- 
lows up  Deer  Creek,  through  a general  as- 
sortment of  sage  brush,  sand  and  boulders, 
for  six  miles  to  the  mouth  of  the  Canyon. 
On  the  way  up,  to  the  right,  a fine  view 
can  be  had  of  Mt.  Aspinwall,  rising  from 
the  lower  range  of  the  Wasatch  to  an  alti- 


AND  PACIFIC  COAST  GUIDE. 


131 


THE  LATE  BRIGHAM  YOUNG’S  RESIDENCE. 


tude  of  11,011  feet  above  the  sea. 
j From  the  mouth  of  the  canyon,  about 
! two  miles  north,  is  the  little  village  of  Al- 
i pine,  containing  about  250  agriculturalists, 
i Entering  the  canyon,  the  passage  is 
f quite  narrow  between  the  towering  cliffs, 
I which  rise  up  in  sharp  peaks  600  feet  in 
t height,  leaving  only  about  100  feet  be- 
[■  tween,  through  which  the  road  is  built, 
j;  and  a sparkling  little  stream  comes  rip- 
|:  plins:  down ; the  road,  on  its  way  up,  cross- 
ji  ing  and  re-crossing  the  stream  many  times, 
f Our  train  is  rapidly  climbing,  but  the 
canyon  walls  seem  to  be  much  more  rap- 
i idly  rising,  and  at  a distance  of  one,  two 
'I  and  three  miles,  gain  an  additional  500 
feet,  until,  in  places,  they  are  full  2,500  feet 
if  above  the  road  bed.  In  places  these 
r.j  cliffs  are  pillared  and  castelated  granite,  in 
y others,  of  slate,  shale  and  conglomerate, 
’ seamed  in  places  as  though  built  up  from 
■ the  bed  of  the  canyon  by  successive  layers, 

| i some  as  thin  as  a knife  blade,  others  much 
f,  thicker;  then  again,  the  rocks  have  the 
appearance  of  iron  slag,  or  dark  colored 
lava  suddenly  cooled,  presenting  to  the 
eye  every  conceivable  angle  and  fan- 
tastic shape — a continuous,  ever-changing 
= panorama. 

- Imagine,  then,  this  canyon  with  its 
grottoes,  amphitheatres,  ana  its  towering 
" crags,  peaks,  and  needle-pointed  rocks,  tow- 
= ering/(tr  above  the  road,  overhanging  it  in 


places,  with  patches  of  eternal  snow  in  the 
gloomy  gorges  near  the  summit,  and  clothed 
at  all  times  in  a mantle  of  green,  the  pine, 
spruce  and  cedar  trees  growing  in  all  the 
nooks  and  gulches  and  away  up  on  the  sum- 
mit ; then  countless  mosses  and  ferns  cling- 
ing to  each  crevice  and  seam  where  a foot- 
hold can  be  secured,  together  with  the  mil- 
1 ions  of  flowers  of  every  hue ; where  the  sun’s 
rays  are  sifted  through  countless  objects  on 
their  way  to  the  silvery,  sparkling  stream 
below,  with  its  miniature  cascades  and  ed- 
dies. We  sa}^  imagine  all  these  things,  and 
then  you  will  only  have  a faint  outline  of 
the  wild  and  romantic,  picturesque  and 
glorious  American  Fork  Canyon. 

Proceeding  on  up,  up,  around  sharp 
crags,  under  the  very  overhanging  moun- 
tains, we  pass  “ Lion  Kock  ” on  the  right, 
and  “ Telescope  Peak  ” on  the  left.  In  the 
top  of  the  latter  is  a round  aperture, 
through  which  the  sky  beyond  can  be 
plainly  seen ; this  hole  is  called  the  ‘‘  Dev- 
il’s Eye.” 

About  three  miles  from  the  mouth  of  the 
canyon,  on  the  left,  we  come  to  Hanging 
Kock.  (See  illustration  page  29.)  Close 
above,  on  the  same  side,  is  a very  large 
spring,  and  almost  immediately  opposite 
“Sled-runner  Curve;” — an  inverted  vein  of 
rock  in  the  side  of  the  perpendicular  clitf, 
resembling  a sled-runner — possibly  this  is 
the  Devil’s  sled-runner ; who  knows  ? Along 


132 


ckofutt’s  new  overland  tourist 


here  the  rock  seams  are  badly  mixed,  and 
run  at  all  angles — horizontal,  longitudinal 
and  “through  other.”  Half-a-mile  further 
we  come  to  “ Rainbow  Clifl,”  on  the  right; 
opposite,  a narrow  peak  rises  sharp,  like 
a knife-blade,  300  feet;  a little  further 
on  to  the  right,  comes  in  the  South  Fork,  on 
which  are  located  several  saw -mills. 

Keeping  to  the  left,  and  soon  after  pass- 
ing the  South  Fork,  a look  back  down 
this  wonderful  canyon  affords  one  of  the 
grandest  of  views ; we  cannot  describe  it, 
but  will  have  it  engraved  for  future  vol- 
umes. 

One  mile  further,  and  the  train  stops  at 
the  end  of  the  track,  at 

Deer  Creek— Near  this  station,  the 
hills  are  bare  of  trees,  but  covered  with 
shrubs  of  different  kinds,  in  which  sage 
and  moss  predominate ; the  gulches  and 
ravines  bear  stunted  pine  and  aspen  trees. 

The  chief  business  of  this  road  is  in 
connection  with  the  mines  above,  among 
which  are  the  Smelter’s  Sultana,  Wild 
Dutchman,  Treasure,  and  Pittsburgh.  The 
Miller  Smelting  Works  are  four  miles  fur- 
ther up  and  the  mines  seven. 

Charcoal  in  large  quantities  is  burned 
near  by  and  taken  to  the  smelting  works. 
There  are  ten  Bee-hive  kilns  at  the  station, 
and  fifteen  more  four  miles  further  up. 
The  yield  is  3,000  bushels  per  month  for 
each  60  cords  of  wood.  Each  kiln  has  a 
capacity  of  20  cords,  and  is  filled  and 
burned  three  times  each  month.  The  price 
obtained  is  14c.  per  bushel.  Bishop  Mc- 
Allister is  the  jolly  chief  in  charge. 

Opposite  the  station,  in  a cosy  little 
nook,  is  located  the  Mountain  Glen  House, 
where  the  tourist  will  find  his  wants  an- 
ticipated, and  plans  can  be  matured  for  a 
ramble  over  these  mountain  peaks ; and 
there  are  a number  of  little  tours  that  can 
be  made  from  this  point  each  day  that  will 
well  pay  for  a week’s  time  devoted  to  this 
locality. 

^ Returning  to  the  valley,  our  engine  is 
dispensed  with,  and  only  the  brak^es  are 
used.  Then  it  is  that  the  view  is  most 
grand,  and  the  ride  one  beyond  the  pow- 
ers of  man  with  his  best  goose-quill  to 
describe.  Make  the  tour  of  the  American 
Fork,  and  our  word  for  it,  it  will  live  in 
pleasant  memory  while  the  sun  of  life  de- 
scends upon  a ripe  old  age. 

At  American  Fork  station,  we  again  en- 
ter the  cars  on  the  Utah  Southern,  and 
start  once  more  for  the  south.  Three 
miles  brings  our  train  to 


Pleasant  Grove  — properly  named. 
In  early  days  it  was  known  as  “ Battle 
Creek  ” — so-called  from  a fight  the  early 
settlers  once  had  here  with  the  Utes.  It  is 
a thriving  place  of  1,000  inhabitants,  and 
like  all  other  Mormon  towns,  is  surrounded 
with  orchards  and  gardens  of  fruit,  with 
water  flowing  through  every  street.  Herds 
of  cattle  are  now  to  be  seen  grazing  on  the 
surrounding  hills. 

Eleven  miles  around,  on  the  rim  of  the 
basin,  across  some  sage  and  some  well-  I 
cultivated  land,  our  train  stops  at 

Provo— This  is  a regularly  incorporated 
city,  with  all  the  requisite  municipal  offi- 
cers ; is  also  the  county  seat  of  Utah  county, 
which  was  first  settled  in  1849. 

Provo  is  48  miles  south  of  Salt  Lake 
City,  at  the  mouth  of  Provo  Canyon,  and 
on  the  east  bank  of  Utah  Lake,  and  con- 
tains an  increasing  population  of  4,000. 
This  place  has  several  fine  hotels,  chief  of 
which  is  the  Excelsior  House.  The  En- 
quirer^ is  a weekly  paper  published  here. 
The  court-house  'and  public  buildings  of 
the  city  are  very  good,  and  all  kinds  of 
business  is  represented  here.  The  princi- 
pal manufactories  are  the  Provo  Woolen 
Mills,  three  flouring  mills,  and  three  saw- 
mills. 

Provo  River,  which  is  formed  by  nu- 
merous small  streams,  to  the  eastward,  af- 
fords the  best  water  power  of  any  stream 
in  Utah. 

The  woolen  mill  is  a noted  feature  of 
the  city ; the  buildings  number  four,  are 
built  of  stone,  four  stories  high,  and  cost, 
complete,  ready  for  business,  $210,000. 
There  are  in  the  mill  four  “ mules  ” with 
3,240  spindles,  machinery  for  carding, 
dyeing  and  preparing  2,000  pounds  of 
wool  per  day,  and  215  looms,  which  turn 
out  superior  fabrics,  in  amount  exceeding 
$200,000  per  annum. 

The  Mormons  have  a veiy  capacious 
tabernacle,  and  the  Methodists  a fine 
church,  and  schools  are  ample.  The  Brig- 
ham Young  Academy  is  located  here, 
which  was  amply  endowed  by  President 
Brigham  Young  some  years  before  his 
death. 

A regular  stage  leaves  for  Provo  Valley, 

20  miles  distant,  to  the  eastward,  on  ar- 
rival of  trains. 

Utah  Lake — is  a body  of  fresh  water, 

30  miles  in  length  and  about  six  miles  in 
width ; is  fed  by  Provo  River,  American 
Pork,  Spanish  Fork,  Hobble,  Salt  and 
Peteetweet  Creeks  — having  its  outlet 


AND  PACIFIC  COAST  GUIDE. 


133 


j through  Jordan  River,  which  runs  north 
i and  empties  into  Great  Salt  Lake.  Utah 
i Lake  abounds  in  trout,  mullet  and  chubs. 

^ Passing  along,  through  a well-cultivated 
i section  of  country,  for  five  miles,we  arrive  at 

I Springville — This  place  was  named 

from  a warm  spring  which  flows  from 
Hobble  Creek  Canyon,  above  the  town. 

I The  water  from  this  spring  is  utilized  for 
running  a flouring  mill,  whereby  the  mill 
is  enabled  to  run  at  all  seasons  of  the  year. 
So  much  for  a hot  spring. 

I Coal  of  good  coking  quality  has  been 
• discovered  and  worked  about  40  miles  to 
' the  eastward,  in  Strawberry  Valley,  and  a 
movement  is  now  being  made  towards  the 
construction  of  another  narrow  gauge  rail- 
! road  to  the  mines.  The  population  here 
I is  about  1,500.  Hobble  Creek  Canyon  on 
the  east,  was  so  named  by  the  first  Mor- 
; mons  that  visited  it  in  1847,  who  found  in 
the  canyon  a set  of  old  Spanish  hobbles. 
Rolling  along  for  five  miles  further 
' through  well-cultivated  land  we  arrive  at 
Spanish  Fork— a village  of  1,800  popu- 
lation,  most  of  whom  are  engaged  in  agri- 
cultural and  pastoral  pursuits.  The  town 
is  to  the  left  of  the  road  on  the  banks  of 
Spanish  Fork  River. 

Butter  and  cheese  are  quite  a specialty 
with  many  of  the  citizens ; on  the  table- 
lands vineyards  are  numerous,  and  wine  is 
made  to  some  extent ; wheat  is  also  a good 
crop.  Duck  shooting  is  said  to  be  exceed- 
ingly fine,  and  trout  are  found  in  great  num- 
bers in  all  the  mountain  streams,  as  well 
as  in  the  lake. 

‘ ^ Continuing  on  through  rich  farm  land, 

eight  miles  brings  our  train  to 
Payson — This  is  an  incorporated  city  of 
about  2,200  population,  situated  to  the  left 
of  the  road,  and  near  the  southern  end  of 
I Utah  Lake.  The  people  appear  to  be  well- 
to-do,  and  do  not  trouble  themselves  much 
^ about  the  “ war  in  Europe,”  or  the  “ Chi- 
nese question.”  Large  quantities  of  ore 
, are  hauled  here  for  shipment  to  the  smelt- 
I ing  furnaces  at  Sandy  and  other  places. 

Three  miles  further,  and  two  and  a half 
miles  eastward,  is  a beautiful  little  place 
' called^  Spring  Lake  Villa,  nestling  cosily 
in  beside  the  mountain  and  a little  lakelet 
of  similar  name.  This  villa  is  noted  for 

V its  abundant  and  superior  fruit  of  various 

V kinds,  where  is  located  a large  canning 
establishment. 

Five  miles  further,  through  less  valuable 
lands  than  those  to  the  northward,  and  we 
I arrive  at 


Santaquin — which  is  a very  important 
point.  It  contains  a population  of  about 
2,000,  and  is  a point  from  which  all  pas- 
sengers, mails,  express  and  freight,  leave 
for  the  Tintic  mining  regions,  to  the  west- 
ward. Here,  too,  will  be  found  stage 
lines  for  the  diflerent  mining  towns  and 
camps.  To  Goshen  the  distance  is  six 
miles;  Diamond  City,  13  miles;  Silver 
City,  16  miles ; and  Eureka,  21  miles. 

The  Tintic  district  furnished  at  this  sta- 
tion, in  1877,  20,000,000  pounds  of  hema- 
tite iron  ore  for  shipment  to  the  different 
smelting  furnaces  to  the  northward,  for  a 
ffux  in  the  manipulation  of  ores. 

Four  miles  further,  through  a rather  un- 
inviting country,  and  our  train  stops,  at  the 
end  of  the  track,  at 

York — This  station  is  75  miles  south  of 
Salt  Lake  City.  Stages  leave  here  daily, 
on  the  arrival  of  trains  for  Nephi,  16  miles ; 
Filmore,  18  miles;  Diamond,  18  miles; 
Beaver,  140  miles;  Pioche.  260  miles ; St. 
George,  278  miles — and  to  all  intermediate 
points.  Great  numbers  of  wagons  are 
loaded  at  this  place  with  freight  for  the 
various  mining  regions  to  the  West,  South, 
and  East. 

To  the  south,  rises  Mount  Nebo,  with 
his  cap  of  snow  to  an  altitude  of  12,000 
feet. 


Returning  to  “ Zion,”  our  course  will 
now  be  over  the 

Utah  Western  Railroad, 

General  offices  at  Salt  Lake  City. 

J.  W.  Young, President. 

H.  P.  Kimball Superintendent. 

This  road  is  a three-foot  narrow  gauge? 
commenced  in  1874,  and  was  completed 


EAGLE  GATE. 


134 


CROFUTT  S NEW  OVERLAND  TOURIST 


for  twelve  miles  during  the  year.  In  1875, 
about  thirteen  miles  more  were  finished, 
and  in  1877  it  was  extended  to  within  two 
miles  of  Stockton,  87.5  miles  from  Salt 
Lake  City. 

The  depot  in  Salt  Lake  City  is  located 
one-half  mile  west  of  the  Utah  Central,  on 
the  same  street.  We  will  take  a run  out 
over  this  road  and  note  the  result. 

The  route  is  due  west,  crossing  the  Jor- 
dan River  the  first  mile,  about  one-half 
mile  south  of  the  wagon-road  bridge, 
thence  twelve  miles  to  the  Hot  Springs,  at 
the  northeast  point  of  the  Oquirrh  Moun- 
tains. This  twelve  miles  is  built  across 
the  level  bottom  land,  the  greater  portion 
of  which  is  covered  with  sage-brush  and 
grease- wood,  with  an  occasional  patch  of 
“ bunch  ” and  alkali  grasses.  The  soil  in 
most  parts  is  a black  vegetable  mould  with 
a mixture  of  fine  sand.  Some  sand  beds 
are  noticeable,  and  near  the  Hot  Springs  a 
deposit  of  alkali  with  some  yellow  clay. 

The  railroad  crosses  several  times  on  the 
route  the  old  California  wagon  road  of 
by-gone  days. 

This  bottom  now,  except  to  a limited  ex- 
tent near  the  water,  is  used  for  grazing 
purposes. 

The  whole  length  of  this  land  is  about 
50  miles,  of  which  the  first  15  is  10  miles 
average  width,  the  balance  averaging  five 
miles  wide,  and  extending  to  Utah  Lake  on 
the  south,  and  when  properly  irrigated — as 
we  have  heretofore  noted,  a plan  now  being 
carried  out  for  so  doing — it  will  be  as  pro- 
ductive as  the  same  number  of  acres  in  the 
valley  of  the  famous  River  Nile,  in  Egypt. 

Large  herds  of  cattle  and  sheep  are  now 
to  be  seen  on  the  bottom,  as  well  as  jack 
rabbits  by  the  legion. 

Near  the  hot  springs,  on  the  left,  notice- 
able from  the  amount  of  steam  rising,  and 
the  brown,burned  appearance  of  the  ground, 
are  some  comfortable  little  farm-houses,  and 
a few  good,  well-appearing  farms.  The 
hot  springs  spoken  of  are  fresh,  and  produce 
a large  creek  of  water.  Near,  are  several 
store-houses,  and  the  station  called 

Millstone — so  named  from  the  fact  that 
at  this  point  the  first  millstones  were  quar- 
ried in  the  Territory.  There  are  no  ac- 
commodations at  present,  near,  for  tourists 
to  stop  over. 

Proceeding  along,  around  the  side  of  the 
mountain,  our  train  gradually  approaches 
the  lake,  and  five  miles  from  Millstone, 
we  are  at 

Black  Rock — This  station  derives  its 


name  from  a black-looking  rock,  sitting 
out  in  the  lake,  about  300  feet  distant  and 
50  feet  in  height,  just  after  passing  a high 
rocky  clift’  on  the  edge  of  the  Lake. 

Near  the  station  is  Lion’s  Head  Rock, 
and  the  highest  point  is  known  as  Observa- 
tion Point,  so  named  from  the  unobstructed 
view  of  the  surrounding  country,  which 
can  be  had  from  its  summit.  Antelope,  or 
Church  Island,  to  the  northeast,  is  14  miles 
distant,  Kimball’s  22  miles ; Goose  Creek 
Mountains,  100  ^ miles  northwest ; West 
Mountain,  15  miles  west;  OquiiTh,  close 
to  the  south,  while  the  view  to  the  south- 
west extends  to  the  great  rim  of  the  basin, 
17  miles  distant. 

On  Church  Island,  large  herds  of  cattle 
range,  and  some  mines  of  gold,  slate  and 
copper  have  been  discovered.  On  Car- 
rington Island,  opposite  Black  Rock,  a slate 
mine  of  good  quality  has  been  discovered, 
which  has  been  traced  4,500  feet. 

Opposite  the  station,  away  up  in  the  side 
of  the  mountain,  is  the 

“ Giant’s  Cave  ” — an  opening  extending 
several  hundred  feet  into  the  mountain  side, 
with  a ceiling  ranging  in  height  from  ten  to 
75  feet,  from  which  hang  stelactites  of  great 
beauty  and  brilliancy.  Remains  of  some 
of  the  ancient  tribes  of  Indians,  it  is  said, 
are  still  to  be  found  scattered  around  the 
floor  of  the  cave.  The  presence  of  these  re- 
mains is  explained  by  a tradition  among 
the  Indians  to  the  eflect  that  “ many  hun- 
dred years  ago,  two  tribes  of  Indians  were 
at  war  with  each  other,  and  that  the  weaker 
party  was  forced  to  take  refuge  in  the  cave, 
but  were  followed  by  the  enemy,  who 
closed  the  entrance  with  huge  boulders, 
forming  an  impenetrable  barrier  to  their 
escape  ” — and  thus  their  place  of  refuge 
became  their  grave. 

Leaving  Black  Rock,  our  train  skirts  the 
lake  for  a distance  of  three  miles,  and  stops 
at 

Lake  Point — twenty  miles  from  Salt 
Lake  City.  Here  the  traveler  will  find 
ample  accommodation  at  the  “ Short 
Branch  Hotel,”  and  the  steamer  “ General 
Garfield,”  Cap.  Darres,  ready  to  explore 
the  mysteries  of  the  famous  “ Dead  Sea,” 
Great  Salt  Lake.  This  arrangement  af- 
fords the  first  opportunity  ever  oflered  to 
travelers  to  behold  the  marvelous  grandeur 
with  which  this  inland  sea  abounds,  of 
which  Von  Humboldt  so  truly  said,  “ Here 
is  the  beauty  and  grandeur  of  Como  and 
Killarney  combined.” 

For  the  last  two  seasons.  Lake  Point  has 


AND  PACIFIC  COAST  GUIDE. 


135 


been  a great  resort  for  pic-nic  parties, 
from  Zion,  who  come  out,  take  a trip  over 
I the  lake  and  to  the  islands,  have  a swim  in 
the  lake  and  a ramble  up  onto  the  moun- 
tains, “ make  a day  of  it,”  and  returu  to  the 
city  in  the  evening.  Bath  houses  are  pro- 
vided for  those  who  prefer  them,  and  every 
accommodation  provided  to  make  those 
who  visit  Lake  Point  feel  satisfied  and 
1 happy. 

Game  in  the  mountains  and  on  the 
plains,  such  as  deer,  antelope,  bears  and 
smaller  game  are  to  be  had  for  the  neces- 
' sary  effort ; ducks  are  abundant  six  miles 
i to  the  eastward,  and  fish  nary  one. 

The  mountains  are  about  1,000  feet  above 
the  road,  and  generally  have  rounded 
peaks,  covered  with  small  trees,  in  places, 

: sage  ana  grass  in  others,  and  large  timber 
! in  the  inaccessible  gulches  and  ravines, 
near  the  summit. 

Leaving  the  Point,  our  course  is  more 
to  the  southward,  along  the  side  of  the 
lake,  by  a few  well-cultivated  farms,  where 
water  is  had  from  the  mountain  on  the  left 
in  sufficient  quantities  for  irrigating  them. 
Two  miles  south,  on  the  left,  is  “ Dobey 
Rock,”  a high,  isolated  rock  on  elevated 
ground ; so  named  after  an  old  Indian,  who 
was  buried  near. 

Turning  more  to  the  left,  and  drawing 
away  from  the  lake,  the  road  follows  along 
a few  miles  from  the  base  of  the  moun- 
tains, beside  which  is  located  the  small 
Mormon  village  of  “ E.  T.  City  ” — named 
after  E.  T.  Bensen,  one  of  the  early  settlers. 
Four  and  a half  miles  from  the  “ Point  ” 
comes  the 

Half-way  House — Near  are  a flouring 
and  a woolen  mill.  On  the  opposite  side 
of  the  valley,  to  the  west,  is  the  town  of 
Grantsyille,  eight  miles  distant.  It  is  sit- 
uated in  one  of  the  richest  agricultural 
sections  of  the  State ; population,  2,000. 

In  the  background  is  the  West  Mountain 
Range,  which  rears  its  peaks  full  2,000 
feet  above  the  town,  and  in  which  are  lo- 
cated some  very  rich  silver  mines.  Be- 
yond these  mountains  is  Scull  Valley — so 
named  from  an  Indian  fight  which  once 
occurred  there,  after  which  the  ground  was 
left  covered  with  bones. 

Passing  on,  to  the  left,  note  the  water- 
lines  on  the  side  of  the  mountain. 

Tooele  Station — is  six  miles  from  the 
last,  and  is  the  one  nearest  the  thriving 
town  of  Tooele,  which  is  situated  to  the 
left  about  two  miles,  close  in  beside  the 
mountain.  The  business  of  the  citizens 


of  the  town  is  principally  agriculture  and 
fruit  raising.  It  is  considered  the  best 
fruit  and  vegetable  district  in  the  Terri-  i 
tory 

Tooele  is  the  county  seat  of  Tooele 
county;  population,  about  2,000.  Along 
the  base  of  the  mountain  the  land  is  irri- 
gated from  the  little  springs  and  creeks, 
in  the  mountain  gorges,  the  waters  of 
which  seldom  find  their  way  to  the  lake 
below.  About  ten  miles  over  the  moun- 
tain, to  the  southeast,  is  located  Brigham 
City.  Leaving  Tooele,  sage  and  small 
cedar  trees  abound,  together  with  a fine, 
silken  bunch-grass;  herds  of  cattle  and 
sheep  are  numerous. 

The  road  is  on  a high  plateau,  curving 
with  the  mountain  more  to  the  westward, 
and  some  miles  below  the  lower  end  of  the 
lake.  As  we  near  the  lower  portion  to  the 
great  valley,  which  lays  on  our  right,  the 
land  rises,  rim-like,  and  a few  hundred 
yards  below  the  end  of  the  track,  rises 
500  feet,  completely  locking  in  the  valley  by 
a mountain  range  or  semi-circle  extending 
in  a great  arch  from  the  Oquirrh  Range,  on 
the  east,  to  meet  the  range  on  the  west,  in 
one  great  bend,  full  two  miles  in  curvature. 

Here,  at  the  base  of  this  rim,  terminates 
the  railroad — and  where  the  terminus 
must  remain  for  some  time.  On  the  south 
side  of  this  curve,  which,  on  the  top,  is  less 
than  one-half  a mile  in  width,  is  located 
the  city  of 

Stockton — two  miles  distant  from  the 
end  of  the  railroad.  To  reach  Stockton 
the  Railroad  Company  must  tunnel 
through  the  rim,  1,000  feet,  exclusive  of 
cuts,  at  each  approach. 

Stockton  is  now  reached  by  stage, 
which  also  extends  its  route  to  Dry  Can- 
yon, and  the  Ophir  mining  districts  to  the 
south  and  west.  From  Stockton  to  Dry 
Canyon,  southeast,  it  is  twelve  miles ; to 
Ophir,  to  the  southeast,  ten  miles ; from 
Stockton  to  Salt  Lake  39.5  miles. 

Stockton  is  in  Tooele  county,  in  the 
northeast  corner  of  Rush  Valley,  and  about 
one-half  mile  east  of  Rush  Lake — a sheet 
of  fresh  water,  two  miles  long  and  a half 
a mile  wide.  The  town  contains  three 
smelting  furnaces,  several  stores,  hotels, 
saloons,  and  about  80  dwelling  houses, 
with  a population — by  taking  in  the  sur- 
roundings for  two  miles — of  600. 

The  Waterman  Furnace  is  on  a slope  of 
the  mountain,  close  in  the  eastern  edge  of 
the  town ; the  Jacob’s  Smelter  about  a half 
a mile  west,  at  the  head  of  the  lake. 


136 


CROFUTT’s  new  OVERLANJJ)  tourist 


and  the  Chicago  Smelter  about  one  mile 
to  the  southwest,  on  the  eastern  bank  of 
the  lake.  The  ores  used  at  these  smelters 
come  from  the  several  mining  districts  in 
the  vicinity  to  the  east,  south  and  west 
The  huge  piles  of  bullion  at  the  depot 
piled  up,  awaiting  shipment,  attest  the 
business  of  the  place. 

Rush  Valley,  in  the  northern  portion 
of  which  is  Rush  lake,  is  one  of  the  class 
of  valleys  so  often  found  in  the  Salt  Lake 
and  Nevada  Basins — only  varying  in  size. 
This  is  ten  miles  in  length,  and  about 
three  in  width — land-locked,  surrounded 
by  mountain  ranges,  with  a lake  in  the 
center  and  no  visible  outlet. 


Returning  to  Salt  Lake,  “change cars” 
for  Ogden,  and  again  we  take  a look  at 
the  Great  Overland  trains.  But  we  can- 
not think  of  neglecting  to  take  a trip  over 
the  little 

Utah  Northern  Railroad. 

Principal  office,  Logan,  Utah. 

r*  w President 

Superintendent 

This  road  is  a three-foot  narrow  gauge  * 
commenced  March  29th,  1872,  and  ex- 
tended at  different  times,  and  completed  to 
Franklin,  80  miles,  in  1874.  Work  is  now 
progressing,  and  within  the  present  year 
R is  designed  to  have  it  completed  to  Old 
Fort  Hall,  on  Snake  River,  100  miles  further 
—making  in  all  180  miles.  The  depot  is 
about  half  a mile  to  the  northeast  of  the 
depot  of  the  Union  and  Central— and  that 
much  nearer  the  city  of  Ogden. 

Leaving  the  depot,  the  road  skirts  the 
western  edge  of  the  city,  across  rich, 
broad,  and  well-cultivated  fields,  orchards 
and  gardens,  with  the  Wasatch  Moun- 
tains towering  to  the  right. 

From  Ogden,  it  is  4.5  miles  to 

Harrisville  — an  unimportant  side- 
track—and  a short  distance  further,  at  the 
foot  of  a spur  of  the  mountains,  is  one  of 
the  many  hot  springs  which  abound  in 
die  Great  Salt  Lake  and  Nevada  basins. 
The  springs  in  cold  weather  send  up  a 
dense  cloud  of  vapor,  which  is  visible  for 
a long  distance.  They  are  strongly  im- 
pregnated with  sulphur  and  other  mineral 
substances.  The  odor  arising  from  them 
IS  very  strong,  and  by  no  means  pleasant 
tor  some  people  to  inhale.  This  spring  is 
close  on  the  right  of  the  road,  and  besides 
the  steam  continually  arising  fi-om  it,  is 


marked  by  the  red-burnt  soil,  much  re- 
sembling a yard,  where  hides  are  tanned.  , 
From  the  cars  an  occasional  glimps  of  ' 
bait  Lake  can  be  obtained,  with  its  nu- 
merous islands,  lifting  their  peaks  far 
far  above  the  briny  waters.  The  views 
will  be  very  imperfect;  but  as  we  near  > 
Promontory  Point,  and  after  leaving  that 
place,  excellent  views  can  be  obtained. 
On  the  left,  only  a few  hundred  yards 
away,  can  be  seen  the  track  of  the  Cen-  i 
tral  Pacific— and  near,  the  unimportant 
station  of  Bonneville  on  that  road.  Near 
are  some  fine  farming  lands,  which  yield  * 
large  crops  of  wheat,  barley  and  corn. 

With  the  rugged  mountains  on  our  right 
and  the  waters  of  the  lake  seen  at  times 
on  our  left,  we  find  objects  of  interest  con- 
tinually rising  around  us  Far  up  the 
sides  of  the  mountain,  stretching  along  ii 
one  unbroken  line,  save  where  it  is  sue 
dered  by  canyons,  gulches,  and  ravines,  i 
the  old  water-mark  of  the  ancient  lake, 
showing  that  at  one  time  this  lake  was  ' 
mighty  sea,  washing  the  mountain  sides  se  v 
eral  hundred  feet  above  us.  The  old  watr 
line  is  no  creation  of  the  imagination,  bi 
a broad  bench,  whereupon  the  well-worn 
rocks,  the  rounded  pebbles,  and  marine 
shells  still  attest  the  fact  that  once  the  wa- 
ters of  the  lake  washed  this  broad  upland. 
Beneath  the  highest  and  largest  bench,  at 
various  places,  may  be  seen  two  others,  at 
about  equal  distances  apart,  showing  that 
the  waters  of  the  lake  have  had  three  dif- 
ferent altitudes  before  they  reached  their 
present  level. 

We  are  gradually  rising  up  on  to  a high 
bench  and  will  continue  along  near  the 
base  of  the  mountains  for  the  next  thirty 
miles.  In  places  the  view  will  be  grand. 
The  Great  Lake  at  the  southwest  with  its 
nurnerous  islands  in  the  distance,  the  well- 
cultivated  fields  in  the  foreground,  together 
with  the  orchards  and  rippling  rills  from  | 
the  mountain  springs,  which  we  cross  every  1 
few  minutes,  make  a beautiful  picture; 
then  back  of  all,  on  the  east,  rises  the  Wa- 
satch, peak  upon  peak,  towering  to  the 
skies. 

From  the  last  station  it  is  14  miles  to 
Willard — This  is  a quiet  Mormon  town 
of  700  inhabitants,  and  contains  some  fiue 
buildings,  but  the  greater  portion  are  built 
of  logs  and  adobe,  yet  neat  and  cosy.  Most 
of  the  fences  are  of  small  willows  inter- 
woven through  large  willow  stakes  stuck 
in  the  ground.  The  mountains  near  this 
town  present  indications  which  would  as. 


AND  PACIFIC  COAST  GUIDE. 


137 


ENTERING  THE  PALISADES  OF  THE  HUMBOLDT. 


sure  the  “ prospector  ” that  they  were  rich 
in  various  minerals.  Strong  evidences  also 
exist  of  the  great  volcanic  upheaval  which 
once  lit  up  this  country  with  its  lurid  fires, 
most  effectualy  demolishing  many  philo- 
sophical theories,  leaving  their  origina- 
nators  to  study  nature  more  and  books 
less. 

Near  the  city,  in  the  first  range  of  hills, 
is  the  crater  of  an  extinct  volcano,  which 
covers  several  acres.  The  masses  of  lava 
laying  around,  its  bleak,  barren,  and  deso- 
late appearance  would  seem  to  indicate  that, 
comparatively  speaking,  not  many  years 
had  elapsed  since  it  w^as  in  active  operation. 

Leaving  Willard,  our  course  is  more  to 
the  left,  with  broad  fields  and  some  fine 
dwellings ; then  a strip  of  sage  and  alkali ; 
and  eight  miles  north  we  reach 

Brigham — This  is  the  county  seat  of 
Box  Elder  county,  situated  near  the  mouth 
of  Box  Elder  and  Wellsville  Canyon. 
Like  Willard,  it  nestles  close  under  the 
shadow  of  the  Wasatch,  and  is  embowered 


in  fruit  trees.  Population,  1,800.  The 
buildings  are  mostly  of  adobe.  A thriving 
trade  and  rapidly  increasing  population 
attest  the  importance  of  the  place.  The 
public  buildings  include  a court-house  and 
tabernacle,  two  hotels,  and  no  saloons. 

From  Brigham  our  course  is  more  to 
the  left,  following  around  the  great  arc  of 
the  mountains,  as  well  as  the  old  Montana 
stage  road. 

Call’s  Fork — is  eight  miles  from  Brig- 
ham, and  is  a little  collection  of  houses, 
close  in  beside  the  mountain  on  the  right. 
All  around  this  mountain  base  are,  at 
intervals,  springs — some  are  cold  and  some 
are  very  hot-water — well-cultivated  fields 
and  alkali  beds,  little  lakes,  and  sage-brush 
knolls,  rich  soil  and  large  crops;  then 
occur  barren  waste  and  nary  shrub. 

Two  and  a half  miles  further  is 

Honeyville — Ah!  here  we  have  it  ! a 
dozen  stone  and  adobe  houses  on  a 
sage-brush  honey.  Bear  River  and  valley 
is  now  on  the  left,  as  is  also  the  city  of 


138 


crofutt’s  new  overland  tourist 


Corinne,  about  six  miles  distant  to  the 
southwest. 

When  this  road  was  first  built,  a track 
extended  to  Corinne,  which  has  in  later 
years  been  taken  up  and  abandoned,  the 
why!  I will  nemr  tell  you. 

Deweyville  is  five  miles  further, 
around  which,  are  some  good  farms  and  a 
gristmill.  Curving  around  the  point  of 
the  mountain  and  heading  for  the  north, 
up  Bear  Valley,  the  grade  increases;  sage 
is  the  rule,  pines  and  cedars  appear  in  the 
mountain  gorges,  and  up  we  climb.  To 
the  west  on  the  opposite  side  of  Bear  River, 
about  five  miles  above  the  station,  is  lo- 
cated a village  of  Shoshone  Indians,  about 
100  in  number.  Their  tepees — lodges— can 
be  plainly  seen.  These  Indians  took  up 
this  land  in  1874,  under  the  pre-emption 
laws  of  the  United  States,  and  abandoned 
their  tribal  relations.  They  own  some 
large  herds  of  cattle  and  bands  of  horses, 
and  are  very  quiet  and  peaceably  disposed. 

Passing  on  up  a heavy  grade  through 
deep  cuts  for  five  miles  and  we  are  at 

Hamptons — a regular  eating  station ; 
good  meals  are  served  in  a rustic  way  for 
50  cents. 

Just  before  reaching  this  station,  the 
road  cuts  through  a spur  of  the  mountain 
that  juts  out  to  the  westward  into  the  val- 
ley, leaving  a high,  isolated  peak.  Let  us 
climb  this  peak  and  take  a look.  To  the 
north,  six  miles  the  Bear  River  canyons 
through  a low  spur  of  the  Wasatch  which 
reaches  away  to  the  northwest.  To  the 
west  of  this  spur  lies  the  Malad  Valley, 
and  Malad  River ; the  latter  and  the  Bear 
come  close  together  into  the  valley,  imme- 
diately to  the  west  of  where  we  stand ; then 
flow  close  together  down  the  valley  to  the 
south  parallel  tor  ten  miles  before  they 
unite,  in  some  places  not  more  than  20 
feet  apart.  To  the  west  of  this  valley  rise 
the  long  range  of  the  Malad  Mountains, 
which,  commencing  near  Corinne,  runs 
nearly  north  to  opposite  this  point,  and 
then  bears  away  to  the  northwest. 

Neither  the  Bear  nor  Malad  valleys, 
both  in  sight,  are  cultivated;  cattle  and 
sheep  are  the  only  signs  of  1 ife  noticeable. 
Leaving  Hampton,  our  road  is  up  a 100 
foot  grade,  curving  around  to  raise  the  spur 
of  the  Wasatch  above  alluded  to,  through 
which  Bear  River  canyons  a few  miles  to 
the  northward.  Finally  the 

Summit — is  reached  and  passed  four 
miles  from  Hampton  and  we  curve  to  the 
east  and  then  to  the  south,  around  the  nar- 


row spur  alluded  to,  which  separated  Bear 
Valley  from  Cache  Valley. 

Prom  the  Summit  we  have  been  rapidly 
descending  into  Cache  Valley,  which  is  on 
our  left,  and  is  one  of  the  most  productive 
in  Utah  Territory.  The  valley  heads  in  tha 
Wasatch  Mountains,  northeast  of  Ogden, 
and  is  40  miles  long  with  an  average 
width  of  six  miles,  to  where  it  intersects 
Marsh  Valley  on  the  north,  five  miles  dis- 
tant. The  Logan  River  runs  through  the 
lower  portion  of  this  valley,  and  is  com- 
posed of  the  Little  Bear,  Blacksmith  Fork, 
and  Logan  creeks,  making  a stream  of 
ample  volume  to  irrigate  all  the  land  in 
the  valley,  much  of  which  is  yet  open  for 
pre-emption. 

In  an  ordinary  season  the  shipments 
from  this  valley  average  500  car-loads  of 
wheat,  200  car-loads  of  oats,  and  100  car- 
loads of  potatoes,  most  of  which  go  to 
California.  Wheat  often  yields  50  bushels 
to  the  acre. 

Mendon — is  the  first  station  from  the 
Summit,  5.5  miles  distant,  on  the  west  side 
of  the  valley,  and  contains  about  700 
population. 

From  Mendon  our  course  is  due  east  to 
Logan,  across  the  valley,  which  runs  north 
and  south,  but  before  we  start,  let  us  note 
the  towns  situated  on  the  arc,  around  the 
upper  portion  of  the  valley.  The  first  is 
Wellsville,  six  miles  south,  on  the  west 
side,  population  1,300.  Paradise  comes 
next,  with  a population  of  500.  Continu- 
ing around  to  the  east  and  then  north,  is 
Hyrum,  population  1,400.  Next  comes 
Millville,  population  600 ; and  then  Provi- 
dence, population  550.  This  latter  village 
is  the  first  south  of  Logan. 

Looking  north  from  Mendon,  northeast 
of  the  point  where  we  crossed  the  ridge  at 
Summit,  and  eight  miles  from  Mendon,  is 
located  the  village  of  Newton,  population 
300 ; three  miles  further  is  Clarkston,  pop- 
ulation 500;  next  six  miles  is  Weston,  pop- 
ulation 500 ; next  is  Clifton,  ten  miles,  pop- 
ulation 300 ; then  Oxford,  seven  miles,  pop- 
ulation 250.  These  are  all  Mormon  vil- 
lages, are  all  surrounded  with  well-culti- 
vated lands,  orchards,  vines  and  gardens, 
with  the  sparkling  waters  from  the  adjoin- 
ing mountains  rippling  through  all  the 
streets,  fields,  gardens  and  lands,  and  with 
crops  and  fruits  of  all  kinds  abundant ; and, 
taking  them  all  in  all,  they  are  prosperous 
and  thriving  communities,  in  which  each 
one  of  the  community  seems  to  strives  to  ad- 
vance the  good  of  all.  They  are  an  in- 


AND  PACIFIC  COAST  GUIDE.  139 


dustrious,  hard-working,  self-reliant  and 
apparently  contented  people,  always  living 
within  their  means.  The  population  of  the 
valley  is  upwards  of  15,000. 

Leaving  Mendon  to  cross  the  valley,  we 
pass  through  a farm  of  9,643  acres,  upon 
which  were  30  miles  of  fencing,  houses  and 
out  buildings,  which  were  deeded  by  Pres- 
ident Brigham  Young,  just  before  his 
death,  to  trustees,  in  trust  to  endow  a col- 
lege at  Logan  City,  to  be  called  “ Brigham 
Young  College.”  The  trustees  are  leasing 
the  land  for  the  purpose  of  creating  a fund 
to  carry  out  the  bequest.  These  lands  are 
some  of  the  most  valuable  in  the  Terri- 

Crossing  Logan  River,  and  seven  miles 
from  Mendon,  our  train  stops  at  the  city  of 

Logan — This  city  is  the  county  seat  of 
Cache  county,  situated  on  the  east  side  of 
Cache  Valley,  just  below  the  mouth  of 
Logan  Canyon.  It  is  the  largest  place  in 
the  valley — containing  a population  of 
about  3,000,  most  of  wLom  are  engaged 
in  agricultural  and  pastoral  pursuits. 
Water  runs  through  the  streets  from  the 
•mountains  and  orchards;  gardens,  fruits 
and  flowers  abound. 

The  city  contains  two  flouring  mills,  a 
woolen  mill,  the  railroad  machine  and  re- 
pair shops,  one  hotel — the  Logan  House — 
and  a branch  of  the  Z.  C.  M.  I.,  besides 
various  small  mechanical  establishments. 
The  new  Tabernacle  is  of  cut  stone,  and 
seats  2,500  people. 

On  the  east  side  of  the  city,  a round 
plateau  rises  300  feet  above  the  streets,  pro- 
jecting out  from  the  average  front  of  the 
mountain  range  2,000  feet,  into  the  valley. 
This  plateau  is  about  500  feet  in  width, 
and  shaped  like  the  end  of  a monster  canal 
boat,  bottom  upwards.  Standing  on  the 
point,  and  looking  west,  the  city  is  close 
at  our  feet,  the  broad  valley  beyond,  and 
in  the  distance  the  spur  of  the  Wasatch, 
over  which  we  came  from  Bear  Valley. 
To  the  right  and  left,  the  valley  is  spread 
out  in  all  its  beauty,  and  no  less  than  14 
to  wns  and  villages  are  in  sight,  surrounded 
with  mountain  ranges,  which  rise,  range 
upon  range,  and  peak  overtooping  peak, 
the  highest  of  which  are  robed  in  a per- 
petual mantle  of  snow.  The  view  is  one 
of  the  most  beautiful  that  one  could  con- 
ceive. 

Upon  this  plateau,  the  Mormon  people 
who  reside  in  Cache  and  the  four  adjoin- 
ing counties,  have  elected  to  build  a mag- 
nificent temple,  in  which  to  conduct  the 


rites  and  ordinances  of  the  Mormon 
church.  The  main  building  will  be  of 
slate  stone,  171  feet  long,  95  feet  wide, 
and  86  feet  high,  with  a grand  tower  144 
feet  high  from  base  to  pinnacle,  and  will 
cost,  when  completed,  in  about  four  years, 
$450,000  to  $500,000. 

Around  the  outer  rim  of  the  plateau,  a 
double  row  of  trees  have  been  set  out,  and 
the  water  from  the  mountain  above  con- 
ducted in  little  ditches  all  around  and  over 
the  entire  grounds. 

Leaving  Logan,  our  road  runs  north, 
along  the  base  of  the  Wasatch  Mountains 
— having  made  a great  horse-shoe  curve 
from  the  summit. 

From  Logan  it  is  five  miles  to 

Hyde  Park  Station — The  town  of 
Hyde  Park  is  to  the  right,  close  beside  the 
mountain,  one  mile  distant,  and  contains 
a population  of  about  800. 

One  mile  further,  and  after  crossing 
Summit  Creek,  which  is  lined  with  cotton- 
wood trees,  comes 

Smithfield — This  is  a town  of  1,200 
population,  a short  distance  to  the  right  of 
the  road.  Seven  miles  further  is 

Richmond  — another  town  of  1,200 
people,  on  the  right,  beside  the  mountain. 

These  towns  are  all  alike  in  beauty  of  sur- 
roundings, and  the  description  of  one  is  a 
description  of  all.  They  all  have  water 
running  through  the  streets,  orchards  and 
gardens,  and  are  all  laid  out  with  wide 
streets,  by  the  side  of  which  are  rows  of 
trees  and  good  walks. 

Lewistown — is  another  small  village  of 
400  people,  situated  on  the  opposite  side  of 
the  valley,  four  miles  distant. 

Six  miles  further,  and  we  are  at  the  end 
of  the  track,  at 

Franklin — This  town  is  one  mile  north 
of  the  line,  between  Utah  and  Idaho,  and, 
consequently,  is  in  Idaho  Territory ; popu- 
lation about  400.  It  is  situated  in  Cache 
Valley,  Oneida  county,  Idaho,  on  Chubb 
Creek  about  one  mile  from  the  station  to 
the  northeast,  at  the  base  of  the  Wasatch 
Mountains. 

The  county  seat  of  Oneida  county  is 
Malad  City,  40  miles  due  west.  The  vil- 
lages of  Weston,  Clarkston,  Newton,  Ox- 
ford, and  Clifton— heretofore  alluded  to — 
are  to  the  westward  of  Franklin,  from  ten 
to  twenty  miles.  In  Bear  Valley,  30  miles 
east,  over  the  mountains,  are  the  towns  of 
Paris,  Montpelier  and  Bennington,  aggre- 
gating a population  of  about  1,000. 

From  Franklin,  it  is  eleven  miles  to 


140 


crofutt’s  new  overland  tourist 


I Bear  River,  north,  and  one  mile  further  to 
Battle  Creek,  where  it  forms  a junction 
with  the  Bear.  There  it  was  in  the  winter 
I of  1863-4,  that  Gen.  Conner  had  his  cele- 
brated fight  with  the  Shoshone  Indians. 

Stages  leave  Franklin  daily  for  the  north 
and  west,  carrying  passengers,  mails  and 
express.  The  fare  is  15c.  per  mile— Tim 
Henderson,  agent.  Distances  from  Frank- 
lin:— Old  Fort  Hall,  80  miles;  New  Fort 
Hall,  105  miles ; Taylor’s  Bridge,  on  Snake 
River,  130  miles;  Helena,  via  Sansbury, 
425  miles;  Virginia,  355  miles;  Deer 
Lodge,  via  Glendale  and  Butte,  400  miles ; 
Missoule,  via  Deer  Lodge,  500  miles ; Fort 
Shaw,  via  Helena,  500  miles ; Fort  Benton, 
via  Helena,  570  miles;  Deer  Lodge,  via 
Helena  and  Blackfoot,  480  miles;  Boze- 
man and  Fort  Ellis,  via  Virginia,  430 
miles ; Bozeman,  via  Helena  and  Gallatin 
City,  535  miles;  from  Franklin  to  Boise 
City,  via  Old  Fort  Hall,  200  miles.  The 
above  distances  are  authentic. 

The  amount  of  bullion  forwarded  by 
the  stage  company,  as  express  matter,  dur- 
ing the  year  of  1877,  from  Franklin, 
amounted  to  $500,000 ; and  the  amount  of 
freight  shipped  on  wagons  to  Montana  and 
Idaho  during  the  same  time  by  H.  0. 
Kinney,  forwarding  agent,  was  1,300,000 
pounds. 

Game  of  all  kinds  abounds  in  the  valleys 
and  in  the  mountains,  while,  along  the 
water  courses,  wild  geese  and  ducks  are 
legion.  The  streams,  little  and  big,  are 
full  of  fish,  notably  the  trout,  which  are 
very  abundant  and  bite  with  a snap  that 
makes  an  old  sportsman  feel  happy.  In 
fact,  in  this  country,  the  old  sportsman  will 
find  his  beau  ideal  of  a “ happy  hunting- 
ground.” 

Fruit,  apples,  peaches,  pears,  cherries, 
plums,  currants,  and  in  fact,  all  kinds  of 
fruit  are  raised  by  the  Mormons,  in  this 
and  adjacent  valleys  in  great  abundance. 
Although  we  are  now  in  Idaho  Territory, 
and  shall  speak  of  the  chief  towns  and  the 
routes  to  them  in  another  place,  we  shall 
pass  it  by  for  the  present,  until  we  know 
more  about  it,  and  take  a look  at 

Montana  Territory. 

This  Territory  lies  to  the  north  of  Idaho, 
and  is  generally  considered  solely  as  a 
mining  country.  Montana  at  one  time 
possessed  excellent  “ placer  ” mines  and 
“ gulch  diggings,”  but  they  have  been  to  a 
great  extent,  worked  out.  Yet  there  are 
still  some  camps  where  good  'pay  is  being 


taken  out,  and  many  of  the  old  diggings  ” 
are  being  worked  over  by  the  “ heathen 
Chinee,”  with  good  results.  The  mining  is 
now  mostly  confined  to  quartz,  some  of 
which  yields  rich  returns. 

Although  many  rich  mines  of  gold  have 
been  discovered  within  her  borders,  the  im- 
portance of  her  agricultural  resources  are 
not  to  be  ignored.  The  valleys  of  the 
Missouri,  Madison,  Gallatin,  Yellowstone, 
and  many  other  rivers,  possess  the  very 
best  of  farming  and  grazing  lands  in  quan- 
tities sufficient  to  support  a large  popula- 
tion. In  the  mines,  enterprise  and  capital 
have,  and  will  continue  to  develop  great 
wealth,  but  here,  as  in  other  mining  coun- 
tries, expensive  machinery  must  be  erected 
and  a large  capital  invested  before  the 
mines  can  be  developed  and  worked  with 
profit,  while  to  the  agriculturist  and  stock- 
grower  Montana  presents,  with  a contin- 
ually increasing  home  market,  inducements 
to  the  poor  emigrant  second  to  no  section 
ot  the  United  States.  The  people  of  the 
Territory  are  energetic  and  persevering, 
with  full  faith  in  the  future  of  their  Ter- 
ritory, and  will,  in  time,  render  it  what 
they  contend  it  really  is,  one  of  the 
wealthiest  sections  of  the  Union. 

Helena  is  the  capital  of  the  Territory,  and 
contains  a population  of  about  4,500.  It 
has  suffered  fearfully  in  the  past  by  fires, 
which  have  several  times  completely  de- 
stroyed the  business  portion  of  the  city,  but 
the  energy  and  enterprise  of  her  people 
soon  re-built  it  with  substantial  materials, 
brick  and  stone.  The  Herald  and  Gazette, 
both  daily  and  weekly  newspapers,  are  pub- 
lished here.  The  chief  occupation  of  the 
people  is  quartz  mining 

Virginia  City — contains  a population 
of  1 ,000.  The  Montanian,  a weekly,  is  pub- 
lished here.  It  is  one  of  the  most  spicy 
papers  in  the  far  West. 

Deer  Lodge  City — is  the  third  in  point 
of  population  in  the  Territory.  It  contains 
1,000  inhabitants,  and  has  one  weekly  paper, 
the  New  Northwest 

Bozeman — is  another  thriving  town,  and 
the  Avaunt  Courier  its  representative  news- 
paper. 

The  Great  National  Park  is  located  in  a 
portion  of  Montana,  and  the  balance  in 
Wyoming,  for  a concise  description  of 
which  we  refer  our  readers  to  Annex 
No.  26. 

Returning  once  more  to  Ogden,  we  will 
now  take  up  the  Overland  Route. 


AND  PACIFIC  COAST  GUIDE. 


141 


E^c-Governor  Leland  Stanford,  President 
of  the  Central  Pacific  Railroad  of  Califor- 
nia, was  born  in  the  town  of  Watervliet, 
Albany  county,  N.  Y.,  March  9,  1824.  His 
ancestors  were  English,  who  settled  in  the 
Valley  of  the  Mohawk  about  the  beginning 
of  the  last  century.  Josiah  Stanford, 
father  of  Leland,  was  a farmer  and  promi- 
nent citizen  of  the  county,  whose  family 
consisted  of  seven  sons — Leland  being  the 
fourth — and  one  daughter.  Until  the  age 
of  twenty,  Leland’s  time  was  passed  at 
study  and  on  the  farm.  He  then  com- 
menced the  study  of  law,  and  in  1845  en- 
tered the  law  office  of  Wheaten,  Doolittle 
& Hudley,  in  Albany,  N.  Y.  In  1849  he 
moved  West,  and  commenced  the  practice 
of  law^  at  Port  Washington,  Wisconsin. 
Here,  in  June,  1850,  he  was  married  to 
Miss  Jane  Lathrop.  In  1852,  we  find 
him  following  many  of  his  friends  to  the 
new  El  Dorado.  He  landed  in  California 
July  12,  1852,  proceeded  directly  to  the 


mines,  and  settled  at  Michigan  Blufl^s,  on 
the  American  River,  Placer  county,  and  in 
a few  years  he  had  not  only  realized  a for- 
tune, but  so  far  won  the  confidence  of  the 
people  as  to  secure  the  nomination  for 
State  Treasurer,  in  1859,  on  the  Republican 
ticket.  At  this  time  the  Democratic  party 
had  never  been  beaten,  and  the  canvass 
was  made  on  principle.  He  was  defeated ; 
but  in  1861 — a split-up  in  the  ranks  of  the 
dominant  party  having  taken  place — he 
was  nominated  for  Governor,  and  elected 
by  a plurality  of  23,000  votes.  How  he  per- 
formed the  trust,  is  well  known.  Suffice  it 
to  say,  he  received  the  thanks  of  the  Leg- 
islature and  won  the  approval  of  all  classes. 
Governor  Stanford  early  moved  in  the  in- 
terest of  the  Pacific  Railroad ; and  on  the 
22d  of  February,  1863,  while  Sacramento 
was  still  staggering  under  the  devastat- 
ing fiood,  and  all  was  gloomy  in  the  fu- 
ture, with  the  whole  country  rent  by  civil 
war,  he — all  hope,  all  life  and  energy — 


142 

crofutt’s  new  overland  tourist 

TAuBIjE. 

SALT  LAKE  DIVISION. 

O G D 

EN  TO  WELLS 

. 

R.  H. 

Pratt,  Division  Super'intendent. 

A.  G.  Fell,  Train  Dispatcher. 

WEST 

FROM  OMAHA. 

SACRAMENTO  TIME. 

EAST  FROM  CALIFORNIA. 

Daily 

Emigrant. 

Daily 
Express 
1st  & 2d  cl’s 

Distance 

from 

Omaha 

STATIONS. 

Elevati’n 

Daily 
Exp  ress 
1st  & 2d  cl’s 

Daily 

Emigrant. 

7:45*  pm 
8:30 

6:15*  pm 
6:40 

..1032.... 

..1041.... 

Lv tOGDEN Av 

....4340.. 

4251 

*8:00  am 
7:35 

7:15 

6:55 

6:35 

6:05 

5:30 

4:58 

4:20 

4:00 

3 :40 

10 :00  a m 

9:05 

7:00 

..1048.... 

4240 

9:15 

9:45 

7:20 

..1056.... 

4229 

8 :40 

10:45 

7:40 

..1064..  . 

4271 

7 :35 

11:45 

8:10 

..1075... 

4379 

7 :00 

12:45  a m 

8:45 

..1084..  . 

4905 

6 :05 

3:05 

9:10 

..1092.... 

4588 

4:00 

4:20 

5:10 

9.35 

9:55 

..1101..  . 
..U08.... 

Lake 

...  4223.. 
4226 

O ^UD 

2:10 

1:20 

12:45 

12:15  a m 

5:55 

10:10 

.1116.... 

....4*-^24.. 

....4222.. 

....4310.. 

4630 

6:30 

10:30 

..1123.... 

3:20 

O .AK 

7:40 

11:20 

..1135.... 

8:30 

11:45 

..1145.... 

2:20 

1:45 

10:55 

O *KK 

9:20 

12:15  a m 

..1159.... 

4619 

y .00 

8:25 

7:30 

6:45 

K •KC\ 

10:50 

12:50 

..1166 

....4:346.. 

4494 

11:45 

1:18 

..1179.... 

iZ  .ou 

12:15  am 
11:50 

11:25 

10:55 

10:30 

10:00 

9:40 

9:20 

9:00 

8:50 

8:25 

12:45  p m 

1:55 

..1188.... 

4812 

1:45 

2:25 

..1198.... 

4999 

0 .OU 

5:05 

4:20 

3:45 

2:50 

2:10 

1:35 

12:55 

12:40  pm 
12:00*noon 

2:45 

3:15 

..1207... 

5555 

3:45 

3:50 

..1214... 

5970 

4:45 

4:20 

..1224.... 

6183 

5:20 

4:40 

..1230  ... 

6153 

5:50 

4:58 

..1235.... 

6004 

6:30 

5:20 

..1241... 

6118 

6:45 

5:30 

..1244.... 

5978 

7:25 

5:45 

..1250.... 

Av tWELLS Lv 

....5628.. 

t Day  Telegraph,  t Day  and  Night  Telegraph.  * Meals. 

The  passenger’s  attention  is  directed  to  the  elevation  of  each 

station. 

shoveled  the  first  earth,  and  May  10,  1869, 
drove  the  last  spike  at  Promontory,  Utah, 
which  completed  the  Great  Pacific  Rail- 
road across  the  American  continent. 

As  most  of  the  people  who  read  this 
book— we  conclude— are  familiar  with  the 
history  of  the  building  of  the  Pacific  rail- 
road, and  as  we  have,  for  nine  years  past, 
published  a condensed  account  of  it, 
—the  trials,  struggles  and  final  triumph  of 
the  enterprise— it  must  sufiice  for  this  time 
for  us  to  give  a few  facts  and  figures,  and 
then  pass  on  to  our  review  of  the  cities, 
towns  and  objects  of  interest  along  the  road, 
and  in  the  country  adjacent  thereto.  The 
first  survey  was  for  the  Central,  over  the 
Sierra  Nevada  Mountains,  made  by  Theo. 

D.  J udah,  in  the  summer  of  1860,  followed 
by  a more  thorough  one  in  the  succeeding 

Central  Pacific  Railroad. 

Ofllcial  headquarters,  corner  Fourth  and 
Townsend  sts.,  San  Francisco,  Cal. 

Leland  Stanford.  . .President. . .San  Francisco. 

C.  P.  Huntington.  . . . Vice-Prest New  York. 

„ „ - ^--Treasurer.. San  Francisco. 

E.  H.  Miller,  Jr Secretary. . . 

A,  N.  Towne GenHSupt..  “ 

Jno.  Corning Asst.  “ “ 

T.  H.  Goodman G.  P.&T.  A,  “ 

J.  C.  Stubbs G.  F.  A “ 

S-  S.  Mo'MT  AfJTTT?!  Fr^'^v  “ 

B.  B.  Redding La7id  Corner  “ 

W.  H.  Porter Auditor “ 

J.  R.  Watson G.  Sup.  Agt.  “ 

E. L.Vanderbeurgh.^w^^.  Tele'h  “ 

F.  Knowland,  General  Eastern  Agents 

28n  Broadway,  N.  Y. 
W.  C.  Thompson,  Gen.EasVn  Agt  for  New  Eng. 

Boston,  Mass, 

The  Indians  call  the  telegraph  the  “whispering 
spirit.” 

Emigrants,  on  the  plains,  are  called  by  the  older 
settlers  “pilgrims.” 

“Cayotes”  are  a small  species  of  wolf.  “Jack 
rabbits”  are  of  the  hare  family. 

Infantry  Soldiers  are  called,  by  the  Indians, 

“ heep  walk  men.” 

AND  PACIFIC  COAST  GUIDE. 


143 


] year,  when  a passage  was  discovered  and 
! declared  to  be  feasible. 

[ In  1862,  Congress  granted  the  charter  for 
. the  Pacific  railroad,  and  the  first  ground  was 
I broken  for  it  by  the  Central,  at  Sacramento, 

I Cal.,  Feb.  22d,  1863,  two  years  and  eight 
; months  before  ground  was  broken  for  the 
i Union,  at  Omaha,  Neb.  The  following 
will  show  the  number  of  miles  completed 
^ by  the  Central  during  each  year : In  1863, 
’64  and  ’65,  20  miles  each  year ; in  1866, 
30  miles;  in  1867,  46  miles;  in  1868, 

. 364  miles;  in  1869,  190%  miles,  making 

■ 69034  miles  from  Sacramento  to  Prom- 
! ontory,  where  the  roads  meet,  May  10th, 

^ 1869. 

] The  whole  length  of  the  Pacific  rail- 

■ road  proper,  from  Omaha  to  Sacramento, 

‘ is  1,77634  miles,  of  which  the  Union  built 

1,085  miles  and  the  Central  69034  miles. 
By  a subsequent  arrangement,  the  Union 
relinquished  53  miles  to  the  Central,  and 
the  latter  purchased  of  the  Western  Pacific, 
in  1869,  from  San  Francisco  to  Sacramento, 
the  whole  of  their  road  13734  miles  in  length 
' which  gave  the  Central  882  miles  of  road 
from  Ogden  to  San  Francisco,  and  made 
the  entire  line  from  Omaha  to  San  Fran- 
cisco, 1,914  miles. 

“All  aboard,”  is  now  the  order,  and  our 
train  glides  away  to  the  northward  through 
the  western  suburbs  of  the  city  of  Ogden, 
crossing  broad  bottom-lands,  much  of 
which  is  under  cultivation.  The  Weber 
River  is  on  the  left,  and  the  long  high 
range  of  the  Wasatch  Mountains  on  the 
right.  Within  a few  miles  the  Ogden 
River  is  crossed,  and  also  many  irrigating 
canals.  The  track  of  the  Utah  Northern 
is  on  the  right,  and  will  continue  to  be,  for 
the  next  24  miles,  near  the  foot  of  the 
mountain;  and  as  the  towns  and  objects  of 
note  were  described  on  the  trip  over  that 
road  they  will  be  passed  in  this  place. 

Bonneville— is  the  first  that  we  pass 
on  the  Central.  It  is  9.9  miles  from  Ogden, 
situated  near  Willard,  in  the  midst  of  a 
section  of  good  farming  land,  which  yields 
large  crops  of  wheat,  barley,  and  corn. 

Brigham— comes  next,  7.14  miles 
further.  The  town  is  to  the  eastward,  near 
the  base  of  the  mountains,  heretofore  de- 
scribed under  the  head  of  the  Utah  N rth- 
ern.  Passing  Brigham,  the  road  inclines 
to  the  left,  west,  and  crosses  Bear  River  on 
a trestle  bridge  1,200  feet  long,  the  piles  of 
which  were  driven  in  water  18  feet  deep ; 
and  half  a mile  further,  and  7.14  miles 
from  Brigham,  we  stop  at 


Corinne — This  city  is  not  as  prosper- 
ous in  its  mercantile  and  forwarding  busi- 
ness as  it  was  several  years  ago,  owing 
principally  to  the  fact  that  the  Utah  North- 
ern has  been  extended  north  too  far ; and 
then  the  taking  up  of  the  branch  track 
from  the  city  has  entirely  cut  off  the 
freighting  business  to  Montana  and  the 
northern  settlements,  that  formerly  went 
from  this  place.  However,  the  citizens  are 
by  no  means  blue,  but  have  built  a canal 
from  a point  11  miles  to  the  northward, 
and  now  conduct  the  waters  of  the  Malad 
River  down  to  the  city,  and  not  only  use  it 
for  irrigating  thousands  of  acres  of  land, 
but  for  city  and  manufacturing  purposes, 
chief  of  which  is  a flouring  mill  which 
produces  about  four  tons  of  flour  a day. 
Corinne  has  three  churches,  a good  school, 
several  hotels,  and  a weekly  newspaper, 
the  Record. 

Many  of  the  citizens  have  embarked  in 
the  stock-raising  business,  and  are  doing 
well ; the  range  to  the  northward  is  very 
good.  Around  the  town  are  many  thou- 
sand acres  of  land,  which  only  require 
irrigation  and  culture  to  render  them  pro- 
ductive in  the  highest  degree. 

Again  Westward!  The  farming  lands 
gradually  give  way  to  alkali  beds — white, 
barren,  and  glittering  in  the  sun.  Now 
the  road  curves  along  the  bank  of  the  lake, 
crossing  the  low  flats  on  a bed  raised 
several  feet  above  the  salt  deposits.  The 
channel  along  the  road,  caused  by  excava- 
tion, is  filled  with  a reddish,  cold-looking 
water.  Taste  it  at  the  first  opportunity, 
and  you  will  wish  that  the  first  opportu- 
nity had  never  oflered. 

Quarry — is  7.64  miles  further  west, 
being  aside-track  where  trains  seldom  stop, 
but  skirt  along  the  base  of  the  mountains 
with  the  lake  and  broad  alkali  bottoms  on 
the  left.  The  cars  pass  over  several  long 
and  high  embankments,  and  reach  the 
high  broken  land  again  at 

Bine  Creek — which  is  11.96  miles 
from  Quarry.  During  the  construction  of 
the  road,  this  was  one  of  the  hardest 
“ Camps  ” along  the  whole  line. 

Leaving  the  station,  we  cross  Blue  Creek 
on  a trestle  bridge  300  feet  long  and  30  feet 
high.  Thence  by  tortuous  curves  we  wind 
around  the  heads  of  several  little  valleys, 
crossing  them  well  against  the  hillside  by 
heavy  fills.  The  track  along  here  has 
been  changed,  avoiding  several  long  tres- 
tle bridges,  and  running  on  a solid  em- 
bankment. 


144 


crofutt’s  new  overland  tourist 


Througli  more  deep  rock  cuts  we  wind 
around  Promontory  Mountain  until  the 
lake  IS  lost  to  view.  Up,  up  we  go,  the 
engine  puffing  and  snorting  with  its  ardu- 
ous labors,  until  the  summit  is  gained,  and 
we  arrive  at  the  former  terminus  of  the  two 
Pacitic  railroads— 8.93  miles  from  Blue 
Creek. 

Promontory— elevation,  4,905  feet; 
distance  from  Omaha  1,084  miles;  from 
San  Francisco  830  miles— is  celebrated  for 
being  the  point  where  the  connection  be- 
tween the  two  roads  was  made  on  the  10th 
of  May,  1869. 

This  town,  formerly  very  lively,  is  now 
almost  entirely  deserted.  The  supply  of 
water  is  obtained  from  a spring  about  four 
miles  south  of  the  road,  in  one  of  the 
gulches  of  Promontory  Mountain. 

The  bench  on  which  the  station  stands 
would  doubtless  produce  vegetables  or 
gram,  if  it  could  be  irrigated,  for  the  sandy 
soil  is  largely  mixed  with  loam,  and  the 
bunch  grass  and  sage-brush  grow  lux- 
uriantly. j 


The  Jjant  Spike— On  Monday,  the 
10th  day  of  May,  1869,  a large  party  was 
congregated  on  Promontory  Point,  Utah 
Territory,  gathered  from  the  four  quarters 
of  the  Union,  and,  we  might  say,  from  the 
four  quarters  of  the  earth.  There  were 
men  from  the  pine-clad  hills  of  Maine, 
the  rock-bound  coast  of  Massachusetts, 
the  everglades  of  Florida,  the  golden 
shores  of  the  Pacific  slope,  from  China, 
Europe,  and  the  wilds  of  the  American 
continent.  There  were  the  lines  of  blue- 
clad  boys,  with  their  burnished  muskets 
and  glistening  bayonets,  and  over  all,  in 
the  bright  May  sun,  floated  the  glorious 
old  stars  and  stripes,  an  emblem  of  unity, 
power  and  prosperity.  They  are  grave, 
eai-nest  men,  most  of  them,  who  are  gath- 
ered here ; men  who  would  not  leave  their 
homes  and  business  and  traverse  half  or 
two-thirds  of  the  continent  only  on  the 
most  urgent  necessity,  or  on  an  occasion  of 
great  national  importance,  such  as  they 
might  never  hope  to  behold  again.  It  was 
to  witness  such  an  event,  to  be  present  at 


AND  PACIFIC 


the  consummation  of  one  of  the  grandest 
of  modern  enterprises,  that  they  had  gath- 
ered here.  They  were  here  to  do  honor 
to  the  occasion  when  1 ,774  miles  of  rail- 
road should  he  united,  binding  in  one  un- 
broken chain  the  East  and  the  West. 
(Sacramento  at  that  time  was  the  western 
terminus.) 

To  witness  this  grand  event — to  be  par- 
takers in  the  glorious  act — this  assemblage 
had  convened.  All  around  was  excite- 
ment and  bustle  that  morning ; men  hurry- 
ing to  and  fro,  grasping  their  neighbors’ 
hands  in  hearty  greeting,  as  they  paused 
to  ask  or  answer  hurried  questions.  This 
is  the  day  of  final  triumph  of  tlie  friends 
of  the  road  over  their  croaking  opponents, 
for  long  ere  the  sun  shall  kiss  the  western 
summits  of  the  gray  old  monarchs  of  the 
desert,  the  work  will  be  accomplished,  the 
assemblage  dispersed,  and  quiet  reign 
once  more,  broken  only  by  the  hoarse 
scream  of  the  locomotive ; and  when  the 
lengthening  mountain  shadows  shall 
sweep  across  the  plain,  flecked  and  mot- 
tled with  the  departing  sunbeams,  they 
will  fall  on  the  iron  rails  which  will 
stretch  away  in  one  unbroken  line  from 
the  Sacramento  to  the  Missouri  River. 

The  hours  passed  slowly  on  until  the 
sun  rode  high  in  the  zenith,  his  glittering 
rays  falling  directly  dowm  iqion  the  vacant 
place  between  the  two  roads,  which  was 
waiting  to  receive  the  last  tie  and  rails 
which  would  unite  them  forever.  On 
either  road  stood  long  lines  of  cars,  the 
impatient  locomotives  occasionally  snort- 
ing out  their  cheering  notes,  as  though  they 
understood  what  was  going  on,  and  rejoiced 
in  common  with  the  excited  assemblage. 

To  give  eflfect  to  the  proceedings,  ar- 
rangements had  been  made  by  which  the 
large  cities  of  the  Union  should  be  notified 
of  the  exact  minute  and  second  when  the 
road  should  be  finished.  Telegraphic 
communications  were  organized  with  the 
principal  cities  of  the  East  and  West,  and 
at  the  designated  hour  the  lines  were  put 
in  connection,  and  all  other  business  sus- 
pended. In  San  Francisco  the  wires  were 
connected  with  the  fire-alarm  in  the  tower, 
where  the  ponderous  bell  could  spread  the 
news  over  the  city  the  instant  the  event 
occured.  Baltimore,  Philadelphia,  Bos- 
ton, New  York,  Cincinnati,  and  Chicago 
were  waiting  for  the  moment  to  arrive 
when  the  chained  lightning  should  be 
loosed,  carrying  the  news  of  a great  civil 


COAST  GUIDE.  1 45 


victory  over  the  length  and  breadth  of  the 
land. 

The  hour  and  minute  designated  ar- 
rived, and  Leland  Stanford,  President,  as- 
sisted by  other  officers  of  the  Central  Pa- 
cific, came  forward ; T.  C.  Durant,  Yice- 
President  of  the  Union  Pacific,  assisted  by 
General  Dodge  and  others  of  the  same 
company,  met  them  at  the  end  of  the  rail, 
w^here  they  reverently  paused,  while  Rev. 
Dr.  Todd,  of  Mass.,  invoked  the  Divine 
blessing.  Then  the  last  tie,  a beautiful 
piece  of  workmanship,  of  California  laurel, 
with  silver  plates  on  which  were  suitable 
inscriptions,  was  put  in  place,  and  the 
last  connecting  rails  were  laid  by  parties 
from  each  company.  The  last  spikes  | 
were  then  presented,  one  of  gold  from  I 
California,  one  of  silver  from  Nevada,  and  i 
one  of  gold,  silver  and  iron  from  Arizona.  ; 
President  Stanford  then  took  the  hammer,  | 
made  of  solid  silver — and  to  the  handle  of  | 
which  w^ere  attached  the  telegraph  wires — I 
and  with  the  first  tap  on  the  head  of  the 
gold  spike  at  12,  m.,  the  news  of  the  event 
was  flashed  over  the  continent.  Speeches 
were  made  as  each  spike  was  driven, 
and  when  all,  was  completed,  cheer  after 
cheer  rent  the  air  from  the  enthusiastic 
assemblage. 

Then  the  Jupiter,  a locomotive  of  the 
C.  P.  R.  R.  Co.,  and  locomotive  No.  116,  of 
the  U.  P.  R.  R.  Co.,  approached  from  each 
way,  meeting  on  the  dividing  line,  where 
they  rubbed  their  brown  noses  together, 
while  shaking  hands,  as  illustrated. 

To  say  that  wine  flowed  freely  w^ould 
convey  but  a faint  idea  of  the  good  feeling 
manifested  and  the  provision  made  by  each 
company  for  the  entertainment  of  their 
guests,  and  the  celebration  of  the  event. 

Immediately  on  the  completion  of  the 
work,  a charge  was  made  on  the  last  tie 
(not  the  silver-plated,  gold-spiked  laurel, 
for  that  had  been  removed  and  a pine  tie 
substituted)  by  relic  hunters,  and  soon  it 
was  cut  and  hacked  to  pieces,  and  the 
fragments  carried  away  as  trophies  or  me- 
mentoes of  the  great  event.  Even  one  of  the 
last  rails  laid  in  place  was  cut  and  battered 
so  badly  that  it  was  removed  and  another 
substituted.  Weeks  after  the  event  we 
passed  the  place  again,  and  found  an  enthu- 
siastic person  cutting  a piece  out  of  the 
last  tie  laid.  He  was  proud  of  his  treasure 
— that  little  chip  of  pine — for  it  was  a piece 
of  the  last  tie.  We  did  not  tell  him  that 
three  or  four  ties  had  been  placed  there 
since  the  first  was  cut  in  pieces. 


14G 


CltOFUTT  S NMAV  OA'KliLAND  TOUKIST 


THE  ORIENT  AND  THE  OCCIDENT  MEETING  AFTER  DRIVING  THE  LAST  SPIKE. 


AND  PACIFIC 


In  the  cars  belonging  to  each  line,  a 
sumptuous  repast  was  served  up  to  the  in- 
vited guests.  Then,  as  the  sun  sank  low 
towards  the  western  summit  of  Promontory 
Point,  the  long  trains  moved  away  with 
parting  salutes  from  the  locornotives,  and 
the  celebration  was  ended,  the  participants 
speeding  away  to  their  far  distant  homes, 
and  so  closed  the  eventful  day  on  Prom- 
ontory Point. 

For  sketch  of  Great  Salt  Lake,  see 
Annex  No.  21. 

For  Hud  nut’s  Survey  of  route  to  Oregon, 
j see  Annex  No.  28.  ■ 

! We  now  resume  our  westward  journey 
I from  Promontory.  Four  miles  west  (near 
a gravel  track  on  the  north  side)  can  be 
seen  close  to  the  road,  on  the  south  side^  a 
sign-board,  which  reads, 

“ten  miles  op  track  in  one  day.” 
Again,  on  the  same  side,  ten  miles  fur- 
ther west,  another  with  the  same  inscrip- 
tion will  appear.  These  boards  mark  the 
track  which  was  laid  by  the  track  layers  of 
the  Central  Pacific  company  in  one  day^ 
under  the  immediate  charge  of  J.  H. 

^ Strowbridge,  Superintendent  of  Construc- 
i tion,  H.  H.  MinKler,  track  layer,  and  James 
I Campbell,  Superintendent  of  Division. 
This  undoubtedly  is  the  most  extraordinary 
feat  of  the  kind  ever  accomplished  in  this 
or  any  other  country. 

Why  it  was  done — During  the  build- 
ing of  the  road,  a great  rivalry  existed  be- 
tween the  two  companies  as  to  which  could 
lay  the  most  track  in  one  day.  This  ri- 
valry commenced  early  in  the  year  1868. 
The  “ Union  ” laying  six  miles;  soon  after 
the  “ Central  ” laid  seven  miles,  and  then 
again  the  “ Union  ” seven  and  a half  miles. 
The  “ Central  ” men,  not  to  be  outdone,  an- 
nounced that  they  could  lay  ten  miles  in 
one  day.  Mr.  Durant,  Vice-President  of 
the  “ Union  ” offered  to  bet  $10,000  that  it 
! could  not  be  done,  and  the  “ Central  ” re- 
solved it  should  be  done.  Consequently,  on 
the  29th  day  of  April,  1869,  when  only 
I fourteen  miles  of  track  remained  to  be  laid 
to  meet  the  “Union”  at  Promontory  Point, 
and  in  the  presence  of  Governor  Stanford 
and  many  prominent  men  from  the  East 
and  West,  nnd  a committee  from  the 
“Union”  to  note  the  progress,  the  work 
commenced. 

How  IT  WAS  DONE — -When  the  car 
loaded  with  rails  came  to  the  end  of  the 
track,  the  two  outer  rails  on  either  side 
were  seized  with  iron  nippers,  hauled  for- 


COAST  GUIDE.  147 


w^ard  off  the  car,  and  laid  on  the  ties  by  four 
men  who  attended  exclusively  to  this.  Over 
these  rails  the  car  was  pushed  forward,  and 
the  process  repeated.  Behind  these  men  . 
came  a gang  of  men  who  half-drove  the 
spikes  and  screwed  on  the  fish-plates.  At 
a short  interval  behind  these  came  a gang 
of  Chinamen,  who  drove  home  the  spikes 
already  inserted  and  added  the  rest.  Be- 
hind these  came  a second  squad  of  China- 
men, two  deep  on  each  side  of  the  track. 
The  inner  men  had  shovels,  the  outer  ones 
picks.  Together,  they  ballasted  the  track. 
The  average  rate  of  speed  at  which  all 
these  processes  were  carried  on  was  one 
minute  and  4734  seconds  to  every  240  feet 
of  track  laid  down. 

Material  Required — Those  unac- 
quainted with  the  enormous  amount  of  ma- 
terial required  to  build  ten  miles  of  rail- 
road can  learn  something  from  the  follow- 
ing figures : It  requires  25,800  cross  ties, 
8,520  iron  rails,  55,000  spikes,  7,040  fish- 
plates, and  14,080  bolts,  the  whole  weigh- 
ing  4,862,000  lbs.  This  material  is  required 
for  a single  track,  exclusive  of  “ turnouts.” 

To  bring  this  material  forward  and  place 
it  in  position,  over  4,000  men,  and  hun- 
dreds of  cars  and  wagons  were  employed. 
The  discipline  acquired  in  the  four  years 
since  the  commencement  of  the  road  en- 
abled the  force  to  begin  at  the  usual  time 
in  the  morning,  calm  and  unexcited,  and 
march  steadily  on  to  “Victory,”  as  the 
place  where  they  rested  at  1 :80  p.  m.  was 
called,  having  laid  eight  miles  of  track  in 
six  hours.  Here  tl  lis  great  “ Central  ’ ’ army 
must  be  fed,  but  Campbell  was  equal  to  the 
requirements.  The  camp  and  water  train 
was  brought  up  at  the  proper  moment,  and 
the  whole  force  took  dinner,  including 
many  distinguished  guests.  After  the 
'^hour  nooning'^  the  army  was  again  on 
the  march,  and  at  precisely  7 p.  m.  10  miles 
and  2^^  feet  had  been  compleUd. 

lYhen  this  was  done,  the  “ Union  ” Com- 
mittee expressed  their  satisfaction  and  re- 
turned to  their  camp,  and  Campbell  sprang 
upon  the  engine  and  ran  it  over  the  ten 
miles  of  track  in  forty  minutes,  thus  dem- 
onstrating that  the  work  w^as  well  done. 

Soon  after  leaving  Promontory,  the  grade 
of  the  road  descends,  and  7.98  miles  we 
reach 

Rosel — situated  almost  on  the  edge  of 
Salt  Lake.  It  is  an  unimportant  station, 
where  passenger  trains  never  stop,  unless 
signaled.  A few  miles  further,  and  we 
pass  the  sign-board  where  commenced  the 


148 


(^kofutt’s  :new  overland  tourist 


work  of  laying  the  “ten  miles  of  track  in 
one  day.”  Continuing  along  on  the  lake 
shore,  with  large  bluff  on  the  right,  for  9.49 
miles  further,  we  pass 

liake— another  side-track,  and  6.98 
miles  more  arrive  at 

Moiiniiieiit— Here,  many  times,  the 
lake  breeze  sweeps  by,  bearing  the  heavy 
alkaline  and  saline  odors  peculiar  to  this 
locality,  and  peculiarly  offensive  to  inva- 
lids. Monument  Point,  a slim,  tapering 
promontory,  stretches  far  out  into  the  lake, 
covered  with  excellent  grass.  We  shall  not 
see  much  more  of  the  article  for  some  time 
to  come,  for  we  are  now  on  what  might 
well  be  called  the  American  Desert.  Leav- 
ing Monument,  it  is  7.34  miles  to 

Seco — another  side-track  of  no  account, 
as  all  is  sage-brush.  Descending  a heavy 
grade,  we  sweep  around  the  head  of  the 
western  arm  of  the  lake,  nearing  and  leav- 
ing its  waters  for  the  last  time.  Another 
run  of  7.1  miles  brings  us  to 

Kelton — or  Indian  Creek,  as  it  is  some- 
times called.  This  is  a station  of  more  im- 
portance than  any  yet  passed  since  leaving 
Promontory.  ^ There  are  large  water-tanks 
by  the  road-side,  supplied  from  a spring 
in  the  foot-hills  some  miles  to  the  north- 
ward. Here  the  Railroad  Co.  till  their  water- 
cars — a train  of  which  run  daily  to  supply 
many  of  the  stations  on  this  division  of  the 
road.  The  Red  Dome  Mountains  show 
their  scattered  spurs  to  the  north,  and 
to  the  southeast  Pilot  Knob  or  Peak  can  be 
seen  lifting  its  rocky  front  far  above  the 
desert. 

From  this  station  a daily  line  of  coaches 
leaves  for  Idaho  and  Oregon,  on  arrival  of 
the  cars.  The  route  passes  through  Idaho 
and  the  eastern  part  of  Oregon,  connecting 
with  the  steamers  of  the  Oregon  Steam 
Navigation  Company  at  Umatilla,  on  the 
Columbia  River— through  to  Boise  in  two 
days;  Walla  Walla  in  four  days;  Portland 
in  five  and  a half  days. 

The  Boise  Country,  to  which  the  line 
of  stages  spoken  of  conveys  the  adventurous 
passengers,  lies  in  the  southeastern  portion 
of  Idado  Territory,  bordering  on  Oregon. 
Extensive  mines  of  gold  have  been  worked 
thei*'^  for  years,  and  still  continue  to  attract 
much  attention,  as  rich  mines  of  gold-bear- 
ing quart  ' ; have  been  discovered  and  worked 
since  the  placer  mines  have  been  partially 
exhausted.  The  principal  mining  country 
is  in  that  portion  generally  designated  as 
the  Boise  Basin,  which  comprises  a scope 
of  country  about  150  miles  north  and  south, 


by  a length  of  about  200  miles.  The  Boise 
mines  lie  north  of  the  JSuake  or  Shoshone 
River.  The  principal  streams  in  the 
mining  section  are  Boise  River,  Fayette 
River,  Wind  Creek,  Moore’s  Creek  and 
Salmon  River.  The  Owyhee  mines  lie 
south  of  the  Snake  River  and  War  Eagle 
Mountains.  This  portion  of  the  mining 
belt  of  Idaho  is  not  as  extensive  as  the  one  i 
just  mentioned.  The  ores  are  mostly  silver.  I 
Boise  City— is  the  capital  ot  the  Terri- 
tory and  county  seat  of  Ada  county.  Popu- 
lation about  6,000.  The  town  site  was  laid 
out  in  1863,  and  now  contains  about  700 
buildings,  a considerable  portion  of  which 
are  of  brick  and  stone.  The  town  is  sit- 
uated in  a fine  agricultural  valley,  about 
two  miles  wide  by  50  long.  It  is  the  cen- 
ter of  several  stage  routes,  and  also  of  trade 
for  a large  section  of  country.  The  States- 
man, a tri-weekly  paper,  is  published  here. 

Idaho — is  the  second  city  in  size  in  the 
Territory,  population  about  2,500.  It  lies 
36  miles  northeast  of  Boise  City,  with  which 
it  is  connected  with  stage,  and  also  with 
Umatilla,  Oregon.  The  World,  newspaper, 
is  published  here — semi-weekly. 

Silver  City— contains  about  2,000  inhab- 
itants. The  buildings  are  mostly  granite. 
The  Avalanche,  a weekly  paper,  represents 
the  interests  of  the  town. 

We  now  return  to  the  railroad,  and  11.43 
miles  further,  arrive  at 
Ombey — Passenger  trains  seldom  stop 
here,  but  roll  on  9.87  miles  further,  to 
Matlin— This  station  is  on  the  high-  j 
land,  which  sweeps  out  from  the  Red 
Dome  Mountains.  Here  these  mountains— 
low  sandstone  ridges — are  nearer  the  track, 
breaking  the  general  monotony  of  the 
scene.  The  road  lies  on  the  northern 
border  of  a vast  waste  whereon  we  see 
few  signs  of  verdure.  The  station  is  mid- 
way from  east  to  west  of  the 
American  Desert — which  extends 

over  an  area  of  about  60  square  miles. 
Over  this  vast  extent  the  eye  wanders  in 
vain  for  some  green  object — some  evi- 
dence that  in  times  gone  by  this  waste 
supported  animal  life,  or  will  eventually 
in  years  to  come.  All  is  desolate  in  the 
extreme ; the  bare  beds  of  alkali,  or  wastes 
of  gray  sand  only  meet  the  vision,  if  we 
except  now  and  then  a rocky  hill  more 
barren  than  the  plains,  if  such  things 
were  possible.  Evidently  this  desert  was 
once  the  bed  of  a saline  lake,  perhaps  a 
portion  of  the  Great  Salt  Lake  itself.  The 
sloping  plain  sweeps  off  towards  that 


AND  PACIFIC  COAST  GUIDE. 


149 


body  of  water,  and  in  places  bends  down 
until  its  thirsty  sands  are  laved  by  the 
briny  flood.  There  are  many  evidences  in 
support  of  the  theory  that  it  was  once 
covered  by  those  waters,  although  much 
higher  than  the  present  level  of  the  lake. 
The  saline  matter  is  plainly  discernible  in 
many  places,  and  along  the  red  sandstone 
buttes  which  mark  its  northern  border, 
i The  long  line  of  water-wash,  so  distinctly 
I seen  at  Ogden,  and  other  points  along  the 
I lake  shore,  can  be  distinctly  traced,  and 
I apparently  on  the  same  level  as  the  bench 
^ at  those  places.  The  difierence  in  the  alti- 
tude of  the  road  is  plainly  indicated  by 
this  line,  for  as  we  journey  westward,  and 
the  elevation  of  the  plateau  increases,  we 
find  that  the  water-wash  line  blends  with 
the  rising  ground  and  is  seen  no  more. 

Matlin  is  an  unimportant  station,  10.78 
miles  from 

Terrace — Here  the  railroad  company 
have  erected  work-shops  and  a 16-stall 
round-house.  To  the  northward  the  hills 
which  mark  the  entrance  to  the  Thousand 
Spring  Valley  are  plainly  seen;  they  are 
brown,  bare  and  uninviting  as  the  country 
we  are  passing  through.  Some  mines  are 
reported  near,  but  have  not  yet  been  de- 
veloped. From  Terrace  it  is  10.54  miles  to 

Bovine— Here  there  is  little  of  interest 
to  note,  the  face  of  the  country  remaining 
about  the  same,  though  gradually  improv- 
iDg.  Spots  of  bunch-grass  appear  at  inter- 
vals, and  the  sage-brush  seems  to  have 
taken  a new  lease  of  life,  indicating  a more 
congenial  soil. 

Continuing  on  10.85  miles  further  we 
reach 

liUcin — At  this  point  we  find  water 
tanks  supplied  by  springs  in  the  hills  at 
the  outlet  of  Thousand  Spriog  Valley, 
which  lies  to  the  north,  just  behind  that 
first  bare  ridge,  one  of  the  spurs  of  the 
Humboldt  Ridge,  but  a few  miles  distant. 
The  valley  is  about  four  miles  wide,  and 
not  far  from  60  miles  long,  taking  in  its 
windings  from  this  point  to  where  it 
breaks  over  the  Divide  into  Humboldt  Val- 
ley. It  is  little  better  than  one  continual 
bog  in  the  center — the  water  from  tbe  nu- 
merous brackish  springs  found  there 
standing  in  pools  over  the  surface.  There 
is  good  range  of  pasturage  for  the  cattle  in 
the  valley  and  hills  ])eyond.  The  old  em- 
igrant road  branches  oft'  at  or  near  the 
station,  one  road  passing  through  the  val- 
ley, the  other  following  nearly  the  line  of 


railroad  until  it  reaches  the  Humboldt  ma 
Humboldt  Wells. 

Goose  or  Hot  Spring  Creek,  a small 
stream  which  courses  through  the  valley 
its  entire  length,  sinks  near  by  the  station, 
rising  and  sinking  at  intervals,  until  it  is 
lost  in  the  desert. 

Before  reaching  the  next  station  we 
leave  Utah  and  enter  the  State  of  Nevada. 
Passing  over  11.75  miles  of  up-grade,  our 
train  arrives  at 

Tecoma — In  1874  quite  an  excitement 
was  created  among  the  mining  operators 
by  the  discovery  of  rich  silver  and  lead 
mines,  situated  about  five  miles  south  of 
this  station  in  the  Toano  range  of  moun- 
tains. A new  town  was  laid  out  at  the 
mines — called  Buel.  A smelting  furnace 
was  erected  at  the  mines  and  a run  of  200 
tons  of  bullion  produced,  valued  at  $360,- 
000,  which  was  shipped  to  San  Francisco 
on  one  train,  creating  no  small  excitement 
on  California  street.  Indications  of  coal 
mines  have  been  found  in  the  vicinity,  but 
no  systematic  eft'ort  has  yet  been  made  to 
develop  them. 

Stock-raising  is  now  the  principal  busi- 
ness of  this  country.  To  the  northward  of 
this  station,  and  in  fact  for  the  last  two 
stations,  large  herds  of  cattle  can  be  seen, 
and  at  the  stations,  pens  and  shutes  for 
shipping. 

Pilot  Peak,  a noted  landmark  which 
has  been  visible  for  the  past  fifty  miles, 
lies  almost  due  south  of  this  station — dis- 
tance 86  miles.  It  is  a lofty  pile  of  rocks 
— the  eastern  terminus  of  Pilot  Mountains 
— rising  about  2,500  feet  above  the  barren 
sands.  For  about  half-way  from  the  base 
to  the  summit  the  sides  are  shelving  piles 
of  shattered  rock — huge  masses  crushed  to 
atoms.  Above  that  it  rises  perpendicularly 
the  summit  looking  like  some  old  castle 
when  seen  at  a distance.  From  Promontory 
Point  looking  westward,  this  vast  pile  can  be 
seen  on  a clear  day— a dark  mass  amid  the 
blue  haze  which  bounds  the  western  horizon. 
To  the  emigrant,  in  early  days,  before  the 
railroad,  it  was  a welcome  landmark,  point- 
ing his  course  to  Humboldt  Wells  or  Thou- 
sand Spring  Valley,  where  he  was  sure  to 
find  water  and  feed  for  his  weary  teams, 
afier  crossing  the  barren  waste. 

From  Tecoma  it  is  9.56  miles  up-grade  to 

Montello — elevation  4,999  feet.  The 
general  aspect  of  the  country  is  changing 
' with  the  increasing  elevation.  We  ap- 
I proach  nearer  the  long,  rough  ridge  of  the 
I Goose  Creek  Range,  the  sides  and  gulches 


crofutt's  new  overland  tourist 


150 


of  which  afford  pasturage  and  water  at 
intervals.  We  are  leaving  the  barren 
sands  behind  us,  and  the  country  looks 
more  capable  of  supporting  animal  life. 

Continuing  the  up-grade — over  550  feet 
within  the  next  9.6  miles — we  arrive  at 

Xoray — a station  of  little  importance 
to  the  traveler. 

From  Loray,  up  we  go  for  7.1  miles 
further  to 

Toano — until  recently  the  end  of  the 
division. 

The  company  have  here  erected  work- 
shops and  a 14-stall  round-house.  Toano  is 
centrally  located  as  regards  many  mining 
districts  in  Eastern  Nevada,  among  which 
are  Egan  Canyon,  Kinsley,  Kern,  Patter- 
son, Ely,  Pahranagat  and  Deep  Creek— all 
of  which  are  under  rapid  development.  A 
stage  line  is  in  operation  from  this  place  to 
Egan  Canyon  and  the  Cherry  Creek  mines, 
a distance  of  90  miles  south.  Soon  after 
leaving  Toano  we  begin  the  ascent  of  Ce- 
dar Pass,  which  divides  the  Desert  from 
Humboldt  Valley.  The  country  is  more 
broken,  but  possessing  more  vegetation. 
We  have  passed  the  western  line  of  the 
desert,  where,  in  early  days,  tbe  travel- 
worn  emigrant  wearily  toiled  through  the 
burning  sand,  his  journey  unenlivened  by 
the  sight  of  water  or  vegetation.  One  word 
more,  regarding  this  desert : The  term  sand 
is  generally  applied,  when  speaking  of  the 
soil  of  the  barren  wastes  which  occur  at 
intervals  along  the  road.  With  one  or  two 
exceptions  it  is  a misnomer,  though  it  well 
applies  to  the  desert  we  have  crossed. 
Most  of  the  surface  of  this  waste  is  sand, 
fine,  hard  and  grey,  mixed  with  marine 
shells  and  fossilized  fragments  of  another 
age.  There  is  no  evidence  on  which  to 
found  a hope  that  this  portion  of  the 
country  could  be  rendered  subservient  to 
the  use  of  man,  consisting,  as  it  does,  of  beds 
of  sand  and  alkali,  overlaying  a heavy 
gravel  deposit.  Ages  must  pass  away 
before  nature’s  wondrous  changes  shall 
render  this  desert  fit  for  the  habitation  of 
man.  Continuing  on  up  the  ridge,  9.91 
miles,  we  pass 

!Peqtiop — and  5.83  miles  further 

Otei^o  - both  side-tracks  of  little  im- 
portance. Tiien  we  commence  to  descend, 
and  5.6  miles  further  arrive  at 

1 11  dependence  — Independence 
Springs,  from  which  this  station  derives  its 
name,  are  near  by,  and  supply  an  abun- 
dance of  very  good  cold  water. 

Independence,  Clover  and  Iluby  valleys, 


lie  to  the  southward.  The  two  first  named 
are  small  and  valueless  except  for  grazing 
purposes.  From  Cedar  Pass  a spur,  or 
rather  a low  range  of  hills,  extends  far  to 
the  southward.  About  70  or  80  miles  south 
of  the  pass,  is  the  South  Pork  of  the  Hum- 
boldt which  canyons  through  this  range, 
running  to  the  east  and  north  of  another 
range  until  it  reaches  the  main  Humboldt. 
Although  the  range  first  mentioned,  after 
having  united  with  the  western  range  south 
of  the  South  Fork,  extends  much  farther 
south,  we  will  follow  it  only  to  Fort  Ruby, 
which  is  situated  in  the  south  end  of  Ruby 
Valley,  near  to  the  South  Fork.  From 
this  fort  to  the  pass  is  about  65  miles, 
which  may  be  taken  as  the  length  of  the 
valley.  The  average  width  is  ten  miles 
from  the  western  range  mentioned  to  the 
foot-hills  of  Ruby  Range,  which  hems  in 
the  valley  to  the  east.  A large  portion  of 
this  valley  is  very  productive  and  is  occu- 
pied by  settlers — mostly  discharged  sol- 
diers from  Fort  Ruby.  In  the  southeast- 
ern portion  of  the  valley  is  Ruby  and 
Franklin  lakes,  which  are  spoken  of  un- 
der the  general  term  of  Ruby  Lake,  for  in 
high  water  they  are  united,  forming  a 
brackish  sheet  of  water  about  15  miles 
long  by  seven  in  width,  which  has  no  out- 
let. It  is — like  Humboldt,  Carson  and  Pyr- 
amid lakes  in  the  Truckee  Desert — merely 
a reservoir,  where  the  fioods  accumulate  to 
evaporate  in  the  dry  summer.  The  old 
stage  road,  from  Salt  Lake  to  Austin, 
crosses  the  foot  of  the  valley  at  Ruby  sta- 
tion. About  20  miles  east  of  the  Ruby 
Range  lies  Goshoot  Lake,  another  brackish 
pond,  with  two  small  tributaries  and  no 
outlet,  rather  wider  and  about  the  same 
length  as  Ruby  Lake.  About  half-way  be- 
tween Goshoot  and  the  railroad  lies  Snow 
Lake,  about  five  miles  in  diameter,  possess- 
ing the  same  general  characteristics  as  the 
others.  With  the  exception  of  the  valleys 
around  these  lakes  and  along  the  water- 
courses, the  country  is  valueless  except  for 
stock-raising.  In  the  Ruby  Range  rich 
silver  lodes  have  been  discovered,  some 
rock  of  which  has  been  found  to  assay  as 
high  as  $600  per  ton. 

Returning  to  Independence,  we  again 
proceed  westward— the  country  is  rolling 
and  broken — and  the  up-grade  continues 
6.1  miles  to 

Moore’s — on  the  summit  of  Cedar 
Pass.  We  now  have  down-grade  for  311 
miles  to  the  Nevada  Desert. 

In  general  outline  this  pass  resembles  a 


AND  PACIFIC  COAST  GUIDE. 


151 


T I livd:  IE  T B L E . 

HUMBOLDT  DIVISION. 

WELLS  TO  WINNEMUCCA. 


G.  W.  CoDDiNGTON,  Division  Superintendent. 


WEST 

FROM  OMAHA. 

SACRAMENTO  TIME. 

EAST  FROM  CALIFORNIA. 

Daily 

Daily 

Distance 

Daily 

Daily 

Emigrant 

Express 

from 

STATIONS. 

Express 

Emigrant 

and  freight. 

Ist  & 2d  cl’s 

Omaha. 



1st  & 2d  cl’s 

and  freight. 

8:45  pm 

5:55  am 

...1250.. 

Lv DWELLS Ar 

....5628.. 

8:15  pm 

11 :00  a m 

y :30 

6 :15 

...1258.. 

Tulasco 

5483.. 

7:45 

10:i5 

10 :05 

6 :25 

...1263.. 

Bishop’s 

....  5400 . . 

7:33 

9:45 

11 :00 

6 ;45 

!!.1270.' 

Deeth  

....5:340.. 

7:18 

9:00 

12:25  a m 

7:15 

...1283.. 

tHalleck 

....5227.. 

6:40 

7:45 

12:47 

7:23 

...1287.. 

Peko 

....5204.. 

6:38 

7:23 

2:00 

7 50 

.. .1298. . 

Osinft  

. ...5135.. 

6:03 

6:10 

3:00 

8:15* 

..  .1307.. 

tE Iko 

....5065.. 

5:20  ♦ 

5:25 

4:20 

9 :07 

..  !i319.. 

.Moleeti 

...4981.. 

4:48 

4:20 

5:35 

9 :35 

.. .1330. . 

.JCarlin 

....4903.. 

4:05 

3:20 

8:00 

10:15 

. . .1339 

. . . .Palisade 

....4840.. 

3:36 

1:30 

9:15 

11 :45 

...1349.. 

..Cluro 

....4766.. 

3:11 

12:25  a m 

10:00 

11 :05 

1358 

+Be-o-wa-we 

...  4690.. 

2:52 

11:35 

11:00 

11 :30 

.. .1:168.. 

Shoshone 

....46:36.. 

2:30 

10:35 

12:00 

12:00  m 

. 1379. 

. . Argenta 

...4548.. 

2:06 

9:25 

1:40  pm 

12:30  * am 

...1390.. 

tBattle  Mountain 

. ..4508.. 

1 :20  * 

7:50 

2:05 

1 :05 

..  .1395.. 

.Piute 

....4506.. 

1:05 

7:15 

2;  40 

1 :24 

.1403. . 

Coin 

....4505.. 

12:48  p m 

6:25 

3:15 

1 :40 

..  .1410.. 

. Stone  House 

....  4505 . . 

12:30 

5:40 

4:20 

2:09 

.1423. . 

Iron  Point 

...  4421.. 

11:05 

4:20 

5:40 

2:40 

. ! .1436! ' 

. fGolconda 

....4375.. 

11:35 

2:40 

6:50 

3:06 

..  1445.. 

Tule 

....4387.. 

11:10 

1:25 

7 : 30  pm 

3:20  pm 

.. .1451.. 

Ar....tWINNEMUCCA  ....Lv 

....4315.. 

10:55  a m 

12 :45  p m 

t Day  Telegraph.  ^ Day  and  Night  Telegraph.  * Meals. 

— The  passenger’s  attention  is  directed  to  the  elevation  of  each  station. 


f rather  rough,  broken  plateau,  bent  upward 
in  the  middle,  forming  a natural  road-bed 
, from  the  desert  to  the  Humboldt  Valley.  It 
was  once  covered  with  scrub  cedar,  which 
has  been  cut  off  for  use  by  the  Railroad 
I Company  and  others.  Some  is  still  ob- 
tained in  the  mountains  to  the  northward. 
^ About  15  miles  to  the  north  a high,  craggy 
I peak  marks  the  point  where  Thousand 
Spring  Valley  bends  to  the  southward,  and 
from  its  divide  slopes  down  to  the  valley 
of  the  Humboldt.  Descending  2.65  miles  is 
Cedar — a small  side-track,  and  six 
^ miles  further  brings  our  train  to  the  end  of 
the  Salt  Lake  Division  and  to  Humboldt 
^ Wells. 

' Wells  —is  now  the  commencement  of 

the  Humboldt  Division,  where  are  located 
the  usual  round-house  and  machine  shops 
of  a division.  The  station  is  1,250  miles 
from  Omaha,  and  664  from  San  Francisco, 

I with  an  elevation  of  5,628  feet.  Owing  to 


the  location  of  railroad  shops  at  this  place 
much  improvement  is  noticeable  in  the 
last  few  years.  It  contains  a population  of 
about  200. 

The  chief  points  of  interest  around  the 
station  are  the  celebrated 

Humboldt  AVei.ls — around  which  the 
emigrants,  in  early  times,  used  to  camp 
while  they  recruited  their  teams  after  a 
long,  hard  journey  across  the  desert.  The 
wells  are  situated  in  the  midst  of  a beauti- 
ful meadow  or  valley,  which,  from  this 
point,  slopes  away  until  it  joins  with  the 
Humboldt  or  main  valley.  The  springs, 
or  wells — about  twenty  in  number — are 
scattered  over  this  little  valley ; one  from 
which  the  company  obtain  their  supply  of 
water  being  within  200  yards  of  the  road, 
and  about  that  distance  west  of  the  station. 
A house  has  been  built  over  it,  and  the 
water  is  raised  into  the  tanks  by  means  of 
an  engine. 


crofutt’s  nfav  overland  tourist 


These  wells  would  hardly  be  noticed  by 
I the  traveler,  unless  his  attention  was  called 
I to  them.  Nothing  marks  their  presence 
I except  the  circle  of  rank  grass*  around 
! them.  When  standing  on  the  bank  of  one 
: of  these  curious  springs  you  look  on  a still 
i surface  of  water,  perhaps  six  or  seven  feet 
across,  and  nearly  round,  no  current  dis- 
turbs it ; it  resembles  a well  more  than  a 
natural  spring,  and  you  look  around  to  see 
the  dirt  which  was  taken  therefrom  when 
the  well  was  dug.  The  water,  which  is 
slightly  brackish,  rises  to  the  surface,  seep- 
ing ofl’  through  the  loose,  sandy  loam  soil 
of  the  valley.  No  bottom  has  been  found 
to  these  wells,  and  they  have  been  sounded 
to  a great  depth.  Undoubtedly  they  are 
the  craters  of  volcanoes,  long  since  extinct, 
but  which  at  one  time  threw  up  this  vast 
body  of  lava  of  which  the  soil  of  Cedar 
Pass  is  largely  composed.  The  whole  face 
of  the  country  bears  evidence  of  the  mighty 
change  which  has  been  taking  place  for 
centuries.  Lava  in  hard,  rough  blocks ; 
lava  decomposed  and  powdered;  huge 
blocks  of  granite  and  sandstone  in  the 
foot-hills,  broken,  shattered  and  thrown 
around  in  wild  confusion,  are  some  of  the 
signs  indicative  of  an  age  when  desolation 
reigned  supreme.  The  valley  in  which 
the  wells  are  situated  is  about  five  miles 
long  by  three  wide,  covered  with  a luxuri- 
i ant  growth  of  grass.  It  is  excellent  farm- 
ing land,  capable  of  producing  luxuriant 
crops  of  vegetables,  grain  or  grass.  The 
low  hills  afford  an  extensive  “range”  and 
good  grazing.  The  transition  from  the 
parched  desert  and  barren  upland  to  these 
green  and  well-watered  valleys  is  so  sud- 
den that  it  seems  like  the  work  of  magic. 
One  moment  in  the  midst  of  desolation, 
the  next  in  the  midst  of  the  green  valleys 
redolent  with  the  aroma  of  the  countless 
flowers  which  deck  their  breasts. 

Rich  mineral  discoveries  have  been 
made  about  35  or  40  miles  southeast  of 
Wells — east  of  Clover  Valley — in  the  John- 
son & Latham  district.  The  veins  are  re- 
ported large,  well-defined,  and  rich  in  sil- 
ver, copper  and  lead;  large  deposits  of 
iron  ore  have  also  been  found.  The  dis- 
trict is  well  supplied  with  wood  and  water, 
and  easy  of  access  from  the  railroad.  A 
stage  runs  through  the  district,  extending 
too  miles  south  to  Shellburn,  near  the  old 
overland  stage  road,  in  the  Shellcreek 
mining  district.  A stage  line  is  also  in 
operation  to  the  Bull  Run  district. 

Stock-raising  occupies  the  attention  of 


most  of  the  settlers  about  the  Wells,  and  to 
the  northward. 

Leaving  Humboldt  Wells  we  proceed 
down  the  valley  for  a few  miles,  when  we 
enter  the  main  valley  of  the  Humb  Jdt, 
one  of  the  richest  agricultural  and  grazing 
valleys  to  be  found  in  the  State.  The  soil 
is  a deep,  black  loam,  moist  enough  for  all 
purposes  without  iiTigation,  from  15  inches 
to  two  feet  deep.  This  portion  of  the  Hum- 
boldt extends  for  about  80  miles  in  length, 
with  an  average  width  of  ten  miles,  nearly 
every  acre  included  therein  being  of  qual- 
ity described.  From  Osino  Canyon  to  the 
head-waters  of  the  valley  is  occupied  by 
settlers  who  have  taken  up  hay  ranches 
and  stock  ranges.  The  river  abounds  in 
fish  and  the  foothills  with  deer  and  other 
game. 

The  Humbot  irr  River  rises  in  the  Hum- 
boldt Mountains,  northwest  of  Cedar  Pass, 
and  courses  westerly  for  about  250  miles, 
when  it  bends  to  the  south,  emptying  into 
Humboldt  Lake,  about  50  miles  from  the 
Big  Bend.  It  is  a rapid  stream  for  most  of 
the  distance,  possessing  few  fords  or  con- 
venient places  for  crossing.  The  railroad 
follows  down  its  northern  bank  until  it 
reaches  Twelve-mile  Canyon,  about  16 
miles  west  of  Carlin.  Here  it  crosses  to 
the  south  side  of  the  river  and  continues 
about  170  miles,  when  it  crosses  again  and 
leaves  the  river,  skirting  the  foot-hills  in 
full  view  of  the  river  and  lake. 

The  main  stream  has  many  varieties  of 
fish,  and  at  certain  seasons  of  the  year  its 
waters  are  a great  resort  lor  wild  ducks 
and  geese.  Where  it  enters  the  lake  the 
volume  of  water  is  much  less  than  it  is  100 
miles  above,  owing  to  the  aridity  of  the  soil 
through  which  it  passes.  Of  the  valleys 
bordering  it  we  shall  speak  separately,  as 
each  division  is  totally  distinct  in  its  gen- 
eral features.  The  “ old  emigrant  road  ” 
can  be  distinctly  traced  along  the  river 
from  its  head  to  its  source. 

From  Wells,  continuing  down  grade,  it 
is  7.5  miles  to 

Talasco— a small  side  - track,  five 
miles  from 

Bisliop^s— This  is  another  unimpor- 
tant side-track,  where  Bishop’s  Valley 
unites  with  the  Humboldt.  This  valley  is 
70  miles  long,  with  an  average  width  of 
five  miles.  It  is  very  fertile,  being  watered 
by  Bishop’s  Creek,  which  rises  in  the  Hum 
boldt  Mountains,  near  Humboldt  Canyon, 
about  70  miles  to  the  northeast,  and  winds 
through  the  valley. 


I 


1 


AND  PACIFIC  COAST  GUIDE. 


153 


I>eeth— is  passed  7.7  miles  from  Bish- 
op’s, and  12.9  miles  further  we  arrive  at 

Halleck. — At  this  station  Government 
stores  are  left  for  Fort  Halleck,  a military 
station  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  river. 
At  the  foot  of  the  mountain — about  twelve 
miles  distant  from  the  station — can  be  seen 
some  settlers’  buildings,  which  are  situated 
on  the  road  to  the  post.  The  military  post 
is  hid  from  view  by  the  intervening  hills. 
It  is  situated  on  an  elevated  plateau,  wliich 
lies  partially  behind  the  first  range,  de- 
bouching thence  in  a long  upland,  which 
extends  some  distance  down  the  river. 
The  valleys  which  lie  along  the  hills,  as 
well  as  this  upland,  are  settled,  and  have 
proved  very  productive.  Wheat,  barley 
and  vegetables  are  extensively  cultivated, 
and  a ready  market  is  found  along  the 
railroad  for  the  surplus  crop. 

Feko  — is  an  unimportant  station  3.3 
miles  west  of  Halleck.  Just  after  leaving 
the  station  we  cross  the  north  fork  of  the 
Humboldt  on  a truss  bridge.  This  river, 
where  it  unites  with  the  main  stream,  is 
about  of  equal  size.  It  rises  about  100 
miles  to  the  north,  and  receives  as  tribu- 
taries many  small  creeks  and  rivulets. 


The  valley  of  the  North  Fork  is  from 
five  to  seven  miles  wide  and  covered  with 
a heavy  growth  of  grass,  and,  like  the 
main  valley,  is  susceptible  of  a high  state 
of  cultivation.  Wheat,  barley  and  vege- 
tables of  all  kinds,  where  cultivated,  yield 
handsome  returns.  The  seasons  are  long 
enough,  and  the  absence  of  early  and  late 
frosts  insures  a natural  crop.  Around  the 
head  of  this  valley  are  many  smaller  ones, 
each  tributary  stream  having  its  own  sepa- 
rate body  of  valley  land.  Some  are  per- 
fect gems,  nestled  among  the  hills  and 
almost  surrounded  by  timber.  Here  game 
in  abundance  is  found — quail,  grouse,  hare, 
deer  and  bear,  and  sometimes  a “ moun- 
tain lion.”  The  tourist,  angler  and  hunter 
will  find  enough  to  occupy  them  pleas- 
antly for  a short  stay,  should  they  choose 
to  visit  this  region.  In  the  main  and 
smaller  valleys  are  many  thousand  acres  of 
Government  land  unclaimed, excepting  that 
portion  owned  by  the  Railroad  Company. 

The  Humboldt  and  all  its  tributary  val- 
leys, as  a range  for  stock,  have  no  su- 
perior west  of  the  Rocky  Mountains.  The 
winters  are  mild — snow  rarely  falling 
sufficiently  deep  to  render  it  necessary  to 


INDIANS  WATCHING  THE  ‘‘FIRE  WAGONS.”  SEE  ANNEX  NO,  48. 


crofutt’s  new  overland  tourist 

feed  the  stock.  Wild  cattle  are  found  in 
the  valleys  aiid  among  the  hills,  which 
have  never  received  any  attention  or  care. 
Stock-raisers  are  turning  their  attention  of 
late  to  this  country  and  find  it  very  remu- 
nerative. The  range  is  not  confined  to 
the  valley  alone,  the  foot-hills  and  even  the 
mountain  sides  produce  the  hunch-grars  in 
profusion.  Wherever  sage-brush  grows 
rank  on  the  hill-sides,  bunch-grass  thrives 
equally  well, 

OisiiiO — is  11.8  miles  down  the  valley 
from  Peko — a signal  station  at  tbe  head  of 
Osino  Canyon,  where  the  valley  suddenly 
ends. 

At  this  point  the  northern  range  of  the 
mountains  sweeps  down  to  the  river  bank, 
which  now  assumes  a tortuous  course — 
seeming  to  double  back  on  itself  in  places 
— completely  bewildering  the  traveler. 
Across  the  river  the  high  peaks  of  the 
opposite  chain  rise  clear  and  bold  from  the 
valley,  contrasting  strongly  with  the  black, 
broken  masses  of  shattered  mountains 
among  w^hich  we  are  winding  in  and  out, 
seemingly  in  an  endless  labyrinth.  Kow 
we  wind  round  a high  point,  the  rail 
lying  close  to^  the  river’s  bank,  and  next 
we  cross  a little  valley  with  the  water 
washing  against  the  opposite  blufls,  half  a 
mile  away.  A dense  mass  of  willow 
covers  the  bottom  lands  through  which  the 
river  wanders.  On  around  another  rocky 
point  and  we  are  in  a wider  portion  of  the 
canyon,  with  an  occasional  strip  of  meadow 
land  in  view,  when  suddenly  we  emerge 
into  a beautiful  valley,  across  which  we 
speed,  the  road  curving  around  to  the  right, 
and  8.8  miles  from  the  last  station  we 
arrive  at 

J^lko — The  county  seat  of  Elko  county ; 
popu  adon  about  1,200.  Elko  is  a regular 
eating  station  for  all  trains  from  the  East 
and  W est.  The  town  formerly  consisted  of 
wood  and  canvas  houses — now  the  latter 
class  is  raiiidly  being  replaced  by  some- 
thing more  substantial.  During  the  last 
few  years  the  town  has  improved  mate- 
rially. The  State  Eniversity,  which  cost 
$80,000,  is  located  here,  just  to  the  north- 
ward of  the  town.  At  this  station — and 
almost  every  one  to  the  westward — can  be 
seen  representatives  of  the  Shoshone  or 
Piute  Indians,  who  come  around  the  cai's 
to  beg.  Any  i)erson  who  wi.dies  to  tell  a 
big  “ whopper”  would  say,  they  are  clean, 
neatly  dressed,  “child-like  and  bland,”  and 
perfumed  with  the  choicest  attar  of  roses, 
but  an  (fid  plainsman  would  reverse  the 

saying  in  terms  more  expressive  than 
elegant. 

Near  the  town  some  Warm  Springs  are 
attracting  attention.  The  medicinal  quali- 
ties of  the  water  are  highly  spoken  of.  A 
hack  plies  between  the  hotel  and  the 
springs,  making  regular  trips  for  the  ac- 
commodation of  visitors. 

The  rich  silver  mining  district  of  Cope 
is  about  80  miles  due  north  of  Elko,  near 
the  head  waters  of  the  North  Fork  of  the 
Humboldt,  bordering  on  the  Owyhee  coun- 
try. Some  very  rich  mines  have  been  dis- 
covered and  several  quartz  mills  erected, 
ill  that  district,  but  the  more  recent  dis- 
coveries are  in  Tuscarora  district  about  50 
miles  north,  and  are  said  to  be  very  ricti. 

Stages  leave  Elko  daily  for  Mountain 
City— north,  in  Cope  district— 80  miles  dis- 
tant, and  all  intermediate  towns  and  camps. 
Stages  also  run  to  Railroad  district— south 

25  miles,  and  to  Eureka  district,  100 miles; 
also  a weekly  line  to  the  South  Fork  of  the 
Humbc)ldt  and  Huntington  valleys.  Large 
quantities  ot  freight  arrive  at,  and  are 
re-shipped  from  this  station  on  wagons,  for 
the  various  mining  districts  to  the  north 
an  1 south. 

Another  important  business  that  has 
sprung  up  at  Elko,  within  the  last  few 
years,  is  cattle-raising.  Elko  county  con- 
tains more  cattle  than  any  other  two  coun- 
ties in  the  State,  and  Elko  ships  more 
cattle  than  any  four  stations  on  the  road, 
being  amply  provided  with  all  the  facilities 
—roomy  yards,  shutes,  etc.,  for  a busi- 
ness that  is  rapidly  increasing,  and  is  des- 
tined, before  many  years,  to  far  excee.l  all 
others  in  the  State. 

This  section  is  well  watered  by  rapid 
mountain  streams,  and  the  country  abounds 
in  game  of  all  kinds — a hunter’s  paradise. 
The  valley  of  the  Humboldt,  for  twenty 
miles  above  and  below  Elko,  cannot  be 
ranked  as  among  the  best  of  its  bottom-lands, 
though  it  is  susceptible  of  cultivation  to 
a considerable  degree.  But  a narrow  strip 
is  meadow,  the  remainder  being  higher, 
gravelly  land,  covered  with  sage-brush  and 
bunch-grass.  Without  irrigation  it  is  use- 
less for  agricultural  purposes. 

Passing  down  from  Elko — the  valley 
dotted  with  the  hamlets  of  the  rancher 
for  about  nine  miles— we  come  opposite 
the  South  Fork  of  the  Hunib(3ldt.  This 
stream  rises  about  100  miles  to  the  south- 
east. It  canyons  through  Kuliy  Mountains, 
and  then  follows  down  the  eastern  side 
cf  one  of  the  numerous  ranges,  which. 

AND  1»ACIFIC  COAST  GUIDE.  155 


under  the  general  name  of  the  Humboldt 
Mountains,  intersect  the  country. 

For  portions  of  the  distance  there  is  fine 
valley  land  along  the  stream,  ranging  from 
one  to  seven  miles  wide,  adapted  to  culti- 
vation, but,  as  a body,  it  is  inferior  to  either 
the  Main  or  North  Fork  valleys.  How- 
ever, the  land  is  all  admirably  adapted  for 
grazing  purposes. 

Moleen — is  a signal  station,  1 [.8  miles 
west  of  Elko.  After  leaving  this  station 
the  valley  presents  a changed  appearance. 
The  meadow  lands  are  broad  and  green, 
extending  over  most  of  the  valley ; on  the 
right  the  bluffs  are  high  and  covered  with 
luxuriant  bunch-grass.  Soon  the  meadows 
are  almost  entirely  closed  out,  and  we  en- 
ter Five  Mile  Canyon.  Through  this  the 
river  runs  quite  rapidly ; its  clear  waters 
sparkling  in  the  sunlight  as  they  speed 
along,  while  occasional  narrow  strips  of 
meadow  land  are  to  be  seen  at  times. 

The  scenery  along  this  canyon  is  hardly 
surpassed  by  the  bold  and  varied  panorama 
presented  to  our  view  along  the  base  of  the 
snow-capped  mountains  through  which  the 
river  and  railroad  have  forced  their  way. 
Soon  after  entering  the  canyon  we  pass 
several  isolated  towers  of  conglomerate 
rock,  towering  to  the  height  of  nearly  200 
feet.  Leaving  this  canyon,  we  find  Susan 
Valley,  another  strip  of  good  farming 
land,  about  twenty  miles  long,  by  four 
wide,  bordering  the  East  Fork  of  Maggie’s 
Creek.  Among  the  foot-hills  of  Owyhee 
Kange,  to  the  northward,  are  many  beauti- 
ful, fertile  valleys,  well  watered  by  moun- 
tain streams,  waiting  only  the  advent  of 
the  settler  to  transform  them  into  produc- 
tive farms.  Timber  is  plenty  in  the  ra- 
vines and  on  the  hill-sides— sufficient  for 
the  wants  of  a large  population.  Passing 
on  to  near  the  next  station,  we  cross  Mag- 
gie’s Creek,  which  empties  into  the  Hum- 
boldt from  the  north.  This  stream  is 
named  for  a beautiful  Scotch  girl,  who, 
with  her  parents,  stayed  here  for  a time  “re- 
cruiting their  stock”  in  the  old  times 
when  the  early  emigrants  toiled  along  the 
river.  It  rises  in  the  Owyhee  Mountains, 
about  80  miles  to  the  northward. 

The  valley  through  which  the  stream 
flows  is  from  three  to  five  miles  wide  and 
very  fertile.  It  extends  to  the  base  of  the 
mountains,  about  70  miles,  and  is  now 
mostly  occupied  by  stockmen.  The 
stream  affords  excellent  trout  fishing,  and 
game  of  various  kinds  abounds  on  the  hills 
bordering  the  valley.  Some  time  since. 


a wagon  road  was  surveyed  and  located  up 
this  valley  to  Idaho  Territory. 

From  Moleen,  it  is  11.6  miles  to 

Carlin — This  is  quite  a busy  station, 
of  about  600  population.  Here  are  located 
the  offices  of  Humboldt  Division,  and 
the  division  workshops.  The  latter  are  of 
wood  and  consist  of  a round-house  of  16 
stalls,  a machine,  car  and  blacksmith  shop. 
The  railroad  was  completed  to  this  place 
Dec.  20,  1868. 

To  the  south  of  Carlin,  from  15  to  60 
miles,  are  located  mines  rich  in  gold,  sil- 
ver, copper  and  iron.  To  the  northward, 
rich  discoveries  have  been  made,  extend- 
ing to  the  Owyhee  country.  In  both  these 
sections  new  mining  districts  have  been 
located,  and  the  attention  of  experienced 
capitalists  is  being  attracted  thereto. 

Mary’s  Creek — rises  three  miles  north 
and  enters  the  Humboldt  at  Carlin.  It 
rises  in  a beautiful  lakelet  nestled  among 
the  hills  and  bordered  by  a narrow  slip  of 
fine  valley  land.  The  valley  of  the  stream, 
and  that  portion  surrounding  its  head 
waters,  is  occupied  by  settlers. 

Proceeding  down  the  river  from  Carlin, 
for  some  distance  the  green  meadows  con- 
tinue fair  and  wide ; then  the  sloping  hills 
give  place  to  lofty  mountains,  which  close 
in  on  either  hand,  shutting  out  the  valley. 

From  the  appearance  of  this  mountain 
range  one  would  suppose  that  it  had  ex- 
tended across  the  valley  at  one  time,  form- 
ing a vast  lake  of  the  wnters  of  the  river, 
then  some  mighty  convulsion  of  nature 
rent  the  solid  wall  asunder,  forming  a pas- 
sage for  the  waters  which  wash  the  base  of 
the  cliffs,  which  are  from  500  to  1,000  feet 
high.  This  place  is  generally  known  as 
The  Palisades  — Humboldt  or 
Twelve  Mile  Canyon,  although  it  does  not 
possess  similar  points  of  interest  with 
Echo  or  Weber  canyons,  yet  in  many  par- 
ticulars the  scenery  is  equally  grand.  The 
absenCv.*  of  varied  coloring  may  be  urged 
against  its  claims  to  equality" with  those 
places,  but,  on  the  other  hand,  its  bleak, 
bare,  brown  walls  possess  a majestic  and 
gloomy  grandeur  which  coloring  could  not 
improve.  In  passing  down  this  canyon,  we 
seem  to  pass  between  two  walls  which 
threaten  to  close  together  ere  we  shall  gain 
the  outlet.  The  river  rolls  at  our  feet  a rapid, 
boiling  current,  tossed  from  side  to  side  of 
the  gorge  by  the  rocks,  wasting  its  fury  in 
vain  attempts  to  break  away  its  prison 
walls.  The  walls  in  places  have  crum- 
bled, and  large  masses  of  crushed  rocks 


156 


CROPUTT  S OVERLAND  TOURIST 


slope  down  to  the  river  brink.  Seams  of 
iron  ore  and  copper-bearing  rock  break 
the  monotony  of  color,  showing  the  exist 
ence  of  large  deposits  of  these  materials 
among  these  brown  old  mountains.  Now 
we  pass  “Red  Clift',”  wliich  rears  its  bat- 
tered frontlet  800  feet  above  the  water.  A 
colony  of  swallows  have  taken  possession 
of  the  rock,  and  built  their  curious  nests 
upon  its  face.  From  out  their  mud  pal- 
aces they  look  down  upon  us,  no  doubt 
wondering  about  the  great  monster  rushing 
past,  and  after  he  has  disappeared,  gossip- 
ing among  themselves  of  the  good  old 
times  when  his  presence  was  unknown  in 
die  canyon.  Now  we  pass  “Maggie’s 
Bower,”  a brown  arch  on  the  face  of  the 
chft,  about  500  feet  from  its  base.  We 
could  not  see  much  bower  - unless  it  was 
the  left  bower,  for  we  lef^  it  behind  us. 

Twisting  in  and  around  these  projecting 
clifls,  9.1  miles  from  Carlin,  we  reach 
^Palisade — a station,  in  the  midst  of 
the  Palisades,  and  apparently  locked  in  on 
all  sides.  This  is  a busy  place  for  a small 
one  of  only  200  population,  as  it  is  the 
junction  of  the  Eureka  & Palisade  rail- 
road, where  are  located  their  machine  and 
workshops.  Most  of  the  box  and  ftat  cars 
of  this  company  are  made  here  in  their 
own  shops.  The  amount  of  freight  han- 
dled at  this  station  is  enormous.  Passen- 
gers can,  almost  always,  see  large  piles  of 
base  bullion  pigs  piled  up  at  the  freight 
house,  awaiting  shipment.  This  bullion  is 
mostly  freighted  here  from  the  smelting 
mrnaces  at  Eureka,  by  the  Eureka  and 
Palisade  railroad,  which  alone  handled 
31,038,884  pounds  during  the  year  1877. 

One  great  item  of  freight  taken  down 
over  this  road — the  E.  &.  P. — is  timber 
from  the  Sierra  Nevada  Mountains,  for  use 
m timbering  up  the  mines  at  Eureka. 

Palisade,  beside  the  machine  shops 
above  named,  has  several  large  build- 
mgs,  used  by  the  Railroad  Company,  for 
freights  and  storage  and  one  a fine,  com- 
modious passenger  station;  these  with 
several  stores,  hotels,  restaurants  and 
saloons  make  up  the  town. 

The  station  is  supplied  with  water  from 
a huge  tank,  situated  upon  the  mountain 
side,  to  the  north,  300  feet  above  the  sta- 
tion. This  tank  in  turn  is  supplied  from 
springs  situated  further  up  the  mountain, 
that  never  fail  in  their  supply. 

Now,  as  we  started  out  to  see  what  was  i 
worth  seeing,  let  us  take  a run  down  over  | 


the  road  that  comes  in  here  and  note  what 
can  be  seen. 


Eureka  A.  Palisade  Railroad. 

Principal  Office,  Eureka,  Nevada. 

E . Mills, President^ EyrpTcn 

P.  Everts  ....  GenH  8up^t i ! ! 'Eureka 

I.  F.  Lawler.  . GenH  E.  P.  & T.  Agt. . .Palisade. 

This  road  is  a three-foot  narrow  gauge 
commenced  in  December,  1873,  and  com- 
pleted to  Eureka  in  October,  1874,  and  is 
90  miles  in  length.  Passenger  trains  leave 
ffir  the  South  on  arrival  of  trains  on  the 
Central,  and  arrive  in  time  to  connect  for 
either  the  East  or  West.  The  trains  make 
full  20  miles  an  hour,  and  the  cars  are  as 
commodious  and  nice  as  on  any  road  in 
this  country. 

Leaving  Palisade  we  cross  the  Humboldt 
River  and  start  for  the  West,  the  C,  P.  on 
the  north  side  of  the  river  and  our  little 
train  on  the  south  side.  But  a few  hun- 
dred yards  from  the  station  we  curve 
around  to  the  left,  while  the  C.  P.  makes  a 
similar  one  to  the  right  and  is  soon  lost  to 
view.  The  general  course  of  our  train  is 
south,  following  up  Pine  Valley,  which  is, 
for  the  first  ten  miles,  covered  with  sage- 
brush— as  is  also  the  surrounding  hills. 

Bullion — is  the  first  station  on  the  bills, 
eight  miles  from  Palisade,  but  we  pass  it, 
and  the  valley  widens  and  4.25  miles  fur- 
ther is  over  one  mile  in  width.  Now  our 
train  is  at 

Evans — a simple  side-track,  important 
only  to  a few  settlers  near,  who  are  culti- 
vating small  fields  and  watching  herds  of 
cattle  and  sheep,  which  find  good  ranges  on 
the  hills,  ravines,  and  neighboring  valleys. 
Some  fields  are  fenced,  for  the  protection 
of  the  grass,  which  is  cut  for  hay.  The 
Cortez  Mountains  are  on  the  west— the 
right  side — and  the  Diamond  range  on  the 
left. 

Willard’s — is  15  miles  from  Palisade, 
and  four  miles  from 

Hay  Ranch— This  station  is  the  first 
from^  Palisade  where  anything  like  busi- 
ness is  to  be  seen.  Here  tbe  Railroad  Com- 
pany have  2,500  acres  of  bottom  land 
fenced,  on  which  they  cut  annually  about 
1,000  tons  of  hay,  which  they  bale  and 
store  away  in  those  long  warehouses  to  be 
seen  on  the  right  of  the  road.  The  com- 
pany run  freight  teams  from  the  end  of 
their  road  at  Eureka,  and — in  connection 
with  it — to  Pioche  and  all  intermediate 
places.  These  teams  are  comjiosed  of  18 
mules  each,  with  three  and  sometimes  four 


157 


AND  PACIFIC  COAST  GUIDE. 

I 


AMERICAN  RIVER  CANYON. 

Near  Shady  Run,  Sieira  Nevada  Mountains. 


wagons  coupled  together — as  illustrated  on 
page  67 — employing  from  300  to  400  mules, 
each  team  hauling  from  80,000  to  40,000 
lbs.  In  winter,  when  their  mules  are  not 
in  use,  they  are  kept  at  this  station,  and 
the  hay  is  harvested  by  the  company  and 
used  for  their  own  stock. 

Continuing  on  up  the  valley  9.31  miles, 
we  come  to 

Box  Springs — but  trains  do  not  stop 
only  on  signal,  and  nine  miles  further 
stop  at 

Mineral — This  is  a regular  eating  sta- 
tion, and  in  fact  is  the  only  one  on  the  road. 
The  meals  cost  $1.00,  and  are  of  the  sub- 
stantial order,  that  makes  bone  and  sinew. 

To  the  east  is  located  the  Mineral  Hill 
Mine,  once  the  most  productive  in  the 
State,  but  it  proved  to  be  a “ pocket  ” and 
the  original  owners,  after  taking  out  sev- 
eral millions  of  dollars,  sold  their  mine  to 
an  English  company — who,  until  within 
the  last  year,  have  allowed  it  to  remain 


idle.  It  is  noAv  being  worked  with  good 
prospects. 

From  Mineral,  it  is  5.5  miles  to 

Deep  Wells — so  named  for  a deep  well 
that  was  dug  near  by,  to  procure  water  for 
the  freight  teams  that  were  in  the  habit  of 
traveling  this  road.  The  enterprising  “Pil- 
grim” who  dug  the  well  was  wont  to  charge  | 
$1.00  for  sufficient  water  to  water  an  18  i 
mule  team,  or  “ four  skins  full  for  a quar-  | 
ter.”  1 

From  Deep  Wells  the  route  is  over  a ; 
sage-brush  country,  rough  and  bluffy,  for  i 
seven  miles,  to 

Alpha— a small  station,  near  where 
kilns  of  charcoal  are  burned  for  use  at  the 
smelting  furnaces.  To  the  west  of  this 
station  is  a broad  valley,  over  which  range 
large  herds  of  cattle.  Willow  Creek,  a 
small  stream,  is  crossed,  and  ten  miles  from 
Alpha  is 

Pine  Station  — another  place  where 
charcoal  burning  is  the  principal  busi- 


158 


crofittt’s  new  overland  tourist 


ness.  Cednr  trees  are  noticeable  along  on 
the  bluffs  as  we  pass  by ; sage  is  abund- 
ant, and  jack-rabbits  are  numerous  and 
very  large — they  call  them  “ narrow-gauge 
mules  ” in  this  country. 

Cedar — is  the  next  station,  three  anci-a- 
half  miles  from  Pine.  The  country  is 
rough  and  broken,  and  sage  predominates ; 
the  grade  is  heavy  and  the  road  crooked — 
twisting  and  turning  for  7.5  miles  to 

Summit— a station  on  the  dividing  ridge 
between  Pine  Valley  on  the  west  and  Dia- 
mond Valley  on  the  east.  The  face  of  the 
country  is  not  very  inviting,  except  for 
those  ‘‘  narrow-gauge  mules.”  Near  the 
summit  the  old  overland  stage  road  crosses 
from  Jacob’s  Wells  on  the  east  to  Austin 
on  the  west. 

From  the  summit  the  road  enters  Dia- 
mond Valley,  and  folloTvs  it  up  to  Eureka, 
the  road  making,  between  Summit  and 

Gardner  Pass — six  miles  from  Summit 
— a great  horse-shoe  curve,  and  fairly 
doubling  back  upon  itself  to  get  around 
the  projecting  spurs  that  shoot  out  from 
the  range  of  high  bluffs  on  each  side. 

^ Continuing  along  up  the  narrow  valley 
nine  miles,  we  reach 

D I A M o N D — an  unimportant  station, 
and  another  run  of  twelve  miles  brings  our 
train  to  the  end  of  the  road  at 

£oreka. — This  city  is  90  miles  south 
of  Palisade,  and  contains,  with  the  near 
surroundings,  a population  of  6,000,  nearly 
all  of  whom  are  engaged  in  mining  and  de- 
pendent pursuits.  Besides  the  usual  num- 
ber of  stores,  hotels  and  small  shops,  there 
are  two  80-stamp  mills,  seven  smelting 
works  and  16  furnaces,  with  a capacity  of 
50  tons  of  ore  each,  daily.  These  extensive 
establishments,  running  night  and  day, 
make  business  pretty  lively,  and  will  ac- 
count for  the  quantities  of  base  bullion 
hauled  oyer  the  railroad  to  Palisade,  as 
above  noticed.  Of  the  hotels,  the  Jackson 
and  the  Parker  are  the  principal  ones. 
There  are  two  daily  papers,  the  Sentinel 
and  the  Repuhlican. 

The  Ruby  Hill  railroad,  really  an  ex- 
tention  of  the  Eureka  & Palisade,  runs 
from  the  depot  at  Eureka  around  the  various 
smelting  and  refining  works  and  mines  of 
the  different  mining  companies,  and  around 
Eureka,  delivering  freight  and  handling 
ores.  This  road  is  about  six  miles  in 
length.  The  most  prominent  mines  at 
Eureka  are  Eureka  Consolidated,  Rich- 
mond Consolidated,  the  K.  K.,  the  Jack- 
son,  Hamburg,  Matamoras  and  Atlas. 


Stages  connect  at  Eureka,  carrying  pas- 
sengers, mails  and  express  to  the  various 
mining  towns  and  camps  in  the  adjoining 
country;  to  Hamilton,  40  miles,  daily, 
which  runs  through  the  Ward  and  Pioche ; 
distance  to  Ward,  100  miles;  Pioche,  190 
miles ; to  Tybo,  100  miles ; Austin,  80  miles ; 
tri-weekly  stage  to  Belmont,  100  miles. 

The  freighting  business  from  Pioche  and 
all  intermediate  towns  and  camps  is  very 
extensive,  most  of  which  is  hauled  by  the 
Railroad  Company’s  teams,  as  previously 
stated. 

The  White  Pine  Country,  is  sit 
uated  to  ihe  southeast  from  Eureka,  the 
principal  city  of  which  is 

Hamilton — This  city  contains  a pop- 
ulation of  about  800,  all  of  whom  are  en- 
gaged in  the  mining  business.  Milling 
and  smelting  are  the  only  occupations,  there 
being  two  smelters  and  six  mills.  An 
English  company  is  now  engaged  running 
a tunnel  under  Treasure  Hill,  to  strike  the 
great  mineral  deposit  known  to  be  there. 
This  tunnel,  when  completed,  will  be  6,000 
feet  long— 7x9  feet,  double  track,  “ T ” rail 
— and  will  tap  the  mines  at  a depth  of 

1.600  feet.  It  is  now  completed  about 

2.600  feet.  Hamilton  has  one  weekly 
newspaper— the  JVews. 

White  Pine— is  nearly  due  east  of  Vir- 
ginia City,  where  the  first  silvei  mining  ex- 
citement occurred  on  the  Pacific  slope,  and 
by  many  is  supposed  to  be  on  the  same 
range  which  produced  the  Comstock  and 
other  famous  lodes.  Possibly  such  is  the 
case,  though  “ ranges  ” have  been  terribly 
shaken  about  in  this  section  of  our  country. 

The  Eberhardt  mine,  which  first  attracted 
attention  to  this  locality,  was  discovered  in 
1866,  but  the  great  stampede  of  miners  and 
speculators  to  that  quarter  did  not  take 
place  until  the  winter  and  spring  of  1869. 
As  far  as  prospected,  the  veins,  in  a ma- 
jority of  cases,  are  not  regular,  being  broken 
and  turned  in  every  direction.  Some  are 
flat,  others  dip  at  a" regular  angle  and  have 
solid  walls.  The  Base  Metal  Range  in 
this  vicinity  is  very  extensive,  and  a num- 
ber of  furnaces  have  been  erected  to  reduce 
the  ores  into  base  bullion  for  shipment. 
For  items  of  interest  see  Annex  No.  30. 

We  will  now  return  to  Palisade,  and  re- 
sume our  place  in  the  C.  P.  cars.  Passing 
down  the  canyon,  winding  and  twisting 
along  around  a succession  of  projecting 
spurs,  we  pass  the  “ Devil’s  Peak,”  on  the 
opposite  side  of  the  river,  a perpendicular 
rock,  probably  500  feet  high,  rising  from 


AND  PACIFIC 


the  water’s  edge.  On,  past  the  towering 
bluffs  and  castellated  rocks — which,  at  first 
view,  look  like  some  old  brown  castle,  for- 
saken by  its  founders  and  left  to  ruin,  deso- 
lation and  decay— we  cross  the  river  on  a 
fine  Howe  truss  bridge ; and  from  this  point 
we  shall  keep  on  the  southern  side  of  the 
stream  until  we  near  Humboldt  Lake, 
when  we  cross  it  again,  and  for  the  last 
time. 

Cluro — is  a flag  station,  10.4  miles 
west  of  Palisade,  reached  just  after  emerg- 
ing from  the  canyon.  We  now  enter  a 
more  open  country,  with  strips  of  meadow 
along  the  river’s  brink.  Hear  this  point 
is  where  the  powder  magazine  of  the  rail- 
road company  exploded  in  lb68,  while  the 
road  was  building  through  the  canyon. 

North  of  the  river,  at  the  point  on  the 
opposite  side,  can  be  seen  a peculiar  for- 
mation, not  seen  elsewhere  in  the  canyon. 
Where  the  road  is  cut  through  these  points, 
they  consist  of  gravel,  sand  and  cement, 
having  all  the  appearance  of  gold-bearing 
gravel-beds.  It  is  an  unmistakable  water- 
wash,  and  not  caused  by  volcanic  wear — 
fine  layers  of  sand,  from  one  to  five  feet 
thick,  and  interspersed  through  the  gravel, 
showing  where  the  water  rested  and  the 
sediment  settled. 

Gravelly  Ford— one  of  the  most  no- 
ted points  on  the  Humboldt  River  in  early 
days,  is  near  Cluro.  Then  the  canyon 
through  which  we  have  just  passed  was 
impassable.  The  long  lines  of  emigrant 
wagons  could  not  pass  through  the  mighty 
chasm,  but  were  obliged  to  turn  and  toil 
over  the  mountains  until  they  could  de- 
scend into  the  valley  again.  Coming  to 
this  point  on  the  south  side  of  the  river, 
they  crossed  and  followed  up  a slope  of  the 
opposite  hills,  thence  along  the  table-land, 
and  from  thence  to  the  valley  above.  A 
few  would  leave  the  river  lower  down  and 
bear  away  to  the  south,  but  the  road  was 
long  and  rough  before  they  reached  the 
valley  above  the  canyon.  There  were  and 
now  are  other  fords  on  the  river,  lower 
down,  but  none  were  as  safe  as  this.  With 
sloping  gravelly  banks  and  a hard  gravel 
bottom,  It  offered  superior  advantages  to 
the  emigrant.  Hence  it  became  a noted 
place — the  point  to  which  the  westward- 
bound  emigrants  looked  forward  with  great 
interest.  Here  was  excellent  grazing  for 
their  travel-worn  teams.  O wing  to  these  con- 
siderations,  large  bodies  of  emigrants  were 
often  encamped  here  for  weeks.  At  times 
the  river  would  be  too  high,  and  they 


COAST^  GUIDE.  159 


would  wait  for  the  torrent  to  subside.  The 
Indians — Shoshones — knew  this  also,  and 
many  a skirmish  took  place  between  them 
and  their  white  brothers,  caused  by  mistaken 
ideas  regarding  the  ownership  of  the  emi- 
grant’s stock. 

Connected  with  this  place  is  an  incident 
which,  for  the  honor  of  the  men  who  per- 
formed the  Christian  act,  we  will  relate: 

In  the  early  times  spoken  of,  a party  of 
emigrants  were  encamped  here,  w^aiting  for 
the  water  to  subside.  Among  these  emi- 
grants were  many  women  and  children. 
While  here,  an  estimable  young  lady  of  18 
years  fell  sick,  and  despite  the  w^atchful 
care  and  loving  tenderness  of  friends  and 
kindred,  her  pure  spirit  floated  into  that 
unknown  mist,  dividing  the  real  from  the 
ideal,  the  mortal  from  the  immortal.  Her 
friends  reared  an  humble  head-board  to  her 
memory,  and,  in  course  of  time— amid 
the  new  life  opening  to  them  on  the  Pacific 
slope — the  young  girl’s  fate  and  grave  were 
alike  forgotten  by  all  but  her  immediate 
relatives.  When  the  advance  guard  of  the 
Central  railroad — the  graders  and  culvert 
men— came  to  Gravelly  Ford,  they  found 
the  lone  grave  and  fast-decaying  head- 
board.  The  site  awoke  the  finer  feelings 
of  their  nature  and  aroused  their  sympa- 
thies, for  they  were  men^  these  brown,  toil- 
stained  laborers. 

The  “ culvert  men  ” (masons)  concluded 
that  it  was  not  consistent  with  Christian 
usage  to  leave  a grave  exposed  and  unde- 
fended from  the  incursion  of  beasts  of  prey. 
With  such  men,  to  think  was  to  act,  and  in 
a few  days  the  lone  grave  was  enclosed 
with  a solid  wall,  and  a cross— the  sacred 
emblem  of  immortality — took  the  place  of 
the  old  head-board.  In  the  day  when  the 
final  reckoning  between  these  men  and  the 
recording  angel  is  adjusted,  we  think  they 
will  find  a credit  for  that  deed  which  will 
offset  many  little  debits  in  the  ledger  of 
good  and  evil.  Perhaps  a fair  spirit  above 
may  smile  a blessing  on  their  lives  in  rec- 
ompense of  the  noble  deed.  The  grave  is 
on  the  south  side  of  the  road,  upon  a low 
bluff,  about  five  miles  west  of  Cluro.  In 
October,  1871,  the  Superintendent  of  the 
Division  erected  over  it  a fine  large  cross. 


“ Corral,”  (Spanish)  a pen  made  of  posts  set 
on  end  in  the  ground  close  together,  and  fastened 
with  rawhide  thongs,  or  by  wagons  drawn  in  a 
circle  forming  an  inclosnre. 

Telegraph  Operators  are  called  ” lightning 
shovers.” 

Outfit— Necessary  supplies  for  a journey. 


160 


CROFUTT’S  NEW  OVERLAND  TOURIST 


Upon  one  side  is  inscribed  “ The  Mai- 
den’s Grave,”  on  the  other,  her  name, 
“Lucinda  Duncan.” 


Passing  on,  we  cross  narrow  patches  of 
meadow  land,  and  wind  around  the  base 
of  low  hills  until  we  reach  a broad  valley. 
Across  the  river  to  the  northward  can  be 
seen  the  long,  unbroken  slopes  which 
stretch  away  until  they  are  lost  in  that  cold 
blue  line — the  Idaho  Mountains — which 
rises  against  the  northern  sky.  Behind  that 
gray  old  peak,  which  is  barely  discernible, 
the  head  waters  of  the  North  Fork  of  the 
Humboldt  break  away  when  starting  on 
their  journey  for  the  main  river.  Farther 
to  the  left,  and  nearer,  from  among  that 
darker  clump  of  hills  Maggie’s  Creek 
hnds  its  source. 

Be-o-wa-we — is  reached  at  a narrow 
point  called  Copper  Canyon,  8.7  miles 
from  Cluro. 

The  Cortez  mines  and  milis  are  situated 
about  35  miles  south  of  this  station,  with 
which  they  are  connected  by  a good  road. 
At  this  point  the  Red  Range  throws  a spur 
nearly  across  the  valley,  cutting  it  in  two. 
It  looks  as  though  the  spur  extended  clear 
across,  at  one  time,  damming  up  the  waters 
of  the  river,  as  at  the  Palisades.  The 
water-wash  far  up  the  hillside  is  in  evi- 
dence of  the  theory  that  such  was  once  the 
case,  and  that  the  waters  cut  this  narrow 
gorge,  through  which  they  speed  along 
unmindful  of  the  mighty  work  done  in  for- 
mer years,  ^ when  the  resistless  current 
“ forced  a highway  to  the  sea,”  and  drained 


a mighty  lake,  leaving  in  its  place  green 
meadows.  ! 

Here,  on  this  red  ridge,  is  the  dividing 
line  between  the  Shoshones  and  the  Piutes, 
two  tribes  of  Indians  who  seemed  to  be 
created  for  the  express  purpose  of  worry- 
ing emigrants,  stealing  stock,  eating  grass- 
hoppers, and  preying  on  themselves  and 
everybody  else.  The  Shoshones  are  very 
degraded  Indians,  and  until  recently,  were 
like  the  Ishmaelites  or  Pariahs  of  old— 
their  hand  was  against  every  man,  and 
every  man’s  hand  was  compelled,  in  self- 
defense,  to  be  against  them  until  they  be- 
came almost  unable  to  commit  depreda- 
tions, and  could  make  more  by  begging 
than  they  could  by  stealing.  The  term  Be-o- 
wa-we  signifies  gate,  and  it  is  literal  in  its 
significance. 

After  leaving  Be-o-wa-we,  we  pass 
through  the  gate,  and  wind  along  by  the 
hillside,  over  the  low  meadows,  which  here 
are  very  narrow.  The  “ bottom  ” is  broad, 
but  is  covered  with  willows,  with  the  ex- 
ception of  the  narrow  meadows  spoken  of.  i 
Amid  these  willows  the  stream  winds  and 
twists  about  through  innumerable  sloughs 
and  creeks,  as  though  undecided  whether 
to  leave  this  shady  retreat  for  the  barren 
plains  below.  Perhaps  the  traveler  will 
see  a flock  of  pelicans  disporting  in  the 
waters  on  their  return  from  their  daily 
fishing  excursion  to  Humboldt  Lake. 
These  birds,  at  certain  seasons  of  the  year,  are 
to  be  found  here  and  there  along  the  river 
for  about  20  miles  below,  in  great  numbers. 
They  build  their  nests  in  these  willow 
islands  and  rear  the4r  young  undisturbed, 
for  even  an  Indian  cannot  penetrate  this 
swampy,  treacherous  fastness.  Every 
morning  the  old  birds  can  be  seen  taking 
their  flight  to  Humboldt  Lake,  where,  in 
its  shallow  waters,  they  load  themselves 
with  fish,  returning  towards  night  to  feed 
their  young  and  ramble  about  the  bottom. 

Soon  after  leaving  the  station,  Hot 
Spring  Valley  comes  in  on  the  left — south 
— and  by  looking  away  to  the  south  eight 
miles,  can  be  seen  columns  of  steam,  from 
one  of  the  many  “hot  springs”  which 
abound  in  the  “ Great  Basin.” 

If  you  do  not  behold  the  steam — for  the 
springs  are  not  always  in  active  operation 
— you  will  behold  a long,  yellowish,  red 
line,  stretching  for  a full  half-mile  around 
a barren  hill-side.  From  this  line  boiling, 
muddy  water  and  sulphuric  wash  descends 
the  hill-side,  desolating  everything  in  its 


AND  PACIFIC  COAST  GUIDE. 


161 


course,  its  waters  escaping  through  the 
bogs  of  the  valley. 

Sometimes  for  hours  these  springs  are 
inactive,  then  come  little  puffs  of  steam, 
then  long  and  frequent  jets,  which  often 
shoot  30  feet  high.  The  waters  are  very 
hot.  Woe  to  the  unlucky  hombre  who 
gets  near  and  to  the  windward  of  one  of 
these  springs,  where  it  sends  forth  a col- 
umn of  spray,  steam  and  muddy  sulphur 
water  from  20  to  30  feet  in  height.  He  will 
need  a change  of  clothes,  some  simple 
cerate,  a few  days’  rest,  and  the  prayers  of 
his  friends — as  well  as  of  the  congregation. 
There  are  over  100  of  these  spurting,  bub- 
bling, sulphuric  curiosities  around  the 
hills  in  this  vicinity.  The  general  charac- 
ter of  all  are  about  the  same. 

There  are  a great  many  theories  regard- 
ing these  springs — what  causes  the  heat, 
etc.  Some  contend  that  the  water  escapes 
from  the  regions  of  eternal  fires,  which  are 
supposed  to  be  ever  burning  in  the  center 
of  the  globe.  Others  assert  that  it  is  min- 
eral in  solution  with  the  water  which 
causes  the  heat.  Again,  irreverent  persons 
suggest  that  this  part  of  the  country  is  but 
the  roof  of  a peculiar  place  to  which  they 
may  well  fear  their  wicked  deeds  may 
doom  them  in  the  future. 

J^ho^lione — is  ten  miles  west  of  Be- 
o-wa-we ; elevation  4,636  feet.  Across  the 
river  to  the  right  is  Battle  Mountain, 
which  rises  up  clear  and  sharp  from  the 
river’s  brink.  It  seems  near,  but  between 
us  and  its  southern  base  is  a wide  bottom 
land  and  the  river,  which  here  really 
“ spreads  itself.”  We  saw  the  same  point 
when  emerging  from  Be-o-wa-we.  or  “ the 
gate,”  and  it  will  continue  in  sight  for 
many  miles. 

This  mountain  derives  its  name  from  an 
Indian  fight,  the  particulars  of  which  will 
be  related  hereafter.  There  are  several 
ranges  near  by,  all  bearing  the  same  gene- 
ral name.  This  range  being  the  most 
prominent,  deserves  a passing  notice.  It 
lies  north  of  the  river,  between  the  Owyhee 
Range  on  the  north  and  the  Reese  River 
Mountains  on  the  south.  Its  base  is 
washed  by  the  river  its  entire  length — 
from  50  to  75  miles.  It  presents  an  al- 
most unbroken  surface  and  even  altitude 
the  entire  distance.  In  places  it  rises  in 
bold  bluffs,  in  others  it  slopes  away  from 
base  to  summit,  but  in  each  case  the  same 
altitude  is  reached.  It  is  about  1,500  feet 
high,  the  top  or  summit  appearing  to  be 
table-land.  Silver  and  copper  mines  have 


been  prospected  with  good  results. 

Behind  this  range  are  wide  valleys, 
which  slope  away  to  the  river  at  either 
end  of  the  range,  leaving  it  comparatively 
isolated. 

Opposite  to  Shoshone,  Rock  Creek  emp- 
ties its  waters  into  the  Humboldt.  It  rises 
about  40  miles  to  the  northward,  and  is 
bordered  by  a beautiful  valley  about  four 
miles  wide.  The  stream  is  well  stocked 
with  fish,  among  which  are  the  mountain 
trout.  In  the  country  around  the  head- 
waters of  the  stream  is  found  plenty  of 
game  of  various  kinds,  including  deer  and 
bear. 

Copper  mines  of  vast  size  and  great  rich- 
ness are  found  in  the  valley  of  Rock  Creek, 
and  among  the  adjoining  hills.  Whenever 
the  copper  interest  becomes  of  sufficient 
importance  to  warrant  the  opening  of  these 
mines,  this  section  will  prove  one  of  great 
importance. 

Leaving  Shoshone,  we  pursue  our  way 
down  the  river,  the  road  leading  back  from 
the  meadow  land  and  passing  along  an 
upland,  covered  with  sage-brush.  The 
hills  on  our  left  are  smooth  and  covered 
with  a good  coat  of  bunch-grass,  affording 
most  excellent  pasturage  for  stock,  sum- 
mer and  winter. 

Argenta — is  11.1  miles  further  west. 
This  was  formerly  a regular  eating  station 
and  the  distributing  point  for  Austin  and 
the  Reese  River  country ; but  is  now  a sim- 
ple side-track.  Paradise  Valley  lies  on  the 
north  side  of  the  river,  nearly  opposite  this 
station.  It  is  about  60  miles  long  by  eight 
wide,  very  fertile  and  thickly  settled. 
Eden  Valley,  the  northern  part  of  Para- 
dise Valley,  is  about  20  miles  long  and 
five  wide.  In  general  features  it  resembles 
the  lower  portion,  the  whole,  comprising 
one  of  the  richest  farming  sections  in  the 
State.  Camp  Scott  and  Santa  Rosa  are 
situated  in  the  head  of  the  valley,  and 
other  small  towns  have  sprung  up  at  other 
points. 

Paradise  Creek  is  a clear,  cold  mountain 
stream,  upon  which  are  a number  of  grist 
and  saw  mills.  It  rises  in  the  Owyhee 
Mountains  and  flows  through  these  valleys 
to  the  Humboldt  River.  Salmon  trout  of 
enormous  size  are  found  in  the  stream  and 
its  tributaries.  Bears,  deer,  silver-gray 
foxes,  and  other  game,  abound  on  the  hills 
which  border  the  valley. 

These  valleys — the  Humboldt  for  50 
miles  east  and  west,  and  the  adjoining 
mountains — are  the  stock-raisers’  paradise. 


crofutt’s  new  overland  tourist 


Tens  of  thousands  of  cattle  are  now  roam- 
ing along  the  Humboldt  and  adjoining 
valleys,  and  surrounding  hills.  It  is  com- 
puted that  there  are  not  less  than  850  000 
head  between  Promontory  Mountain  and  the 
Sierra  Nevada  Mountains.  One  firm  near 
this  station  has  over  40,000  head,  and  one 
range  fenced  of  28,000  acres, 
j A few  miles  after  leaving  Argenta,  Reese 
1 River  Valley  joins  the  Humboldt — coming 
in  from  the  south.  It  is  very  diversified 
j in  feature,  being  very  wide  at  some  points 
— from  seven  to  ten  miles— and  then  dwin- 
dling down  to  narrow  strips  of  meadow  or 
barren  sand.  Some  portions  of  the  valley 
are  susceptible  of  cultivation,  and  possess 
an  excellent  soil.  Other  portions  are  bar- 
ren sand  and  gravel  wastes,  on  which  only 
the  sage-brush  fiourishes.  This  valley 
is  also  known  by  old  emigrants  as  “ Whirl- 
wind Valley,”  and  passengers  will  fre- 
quently see  columns  of  dust  ascending 
skywards.  Reese  River,  which  fiows 
through  this  valley,  rises  to  the  south,  180 
to  200  miles  distant.  It  has  many  tribu- 
taries, which  find  their  source  in  the  moun- 
tain ranges  that  extend  on  either  side  of 
the  river  its  entire  length.  It  sinks  in  the 
valley  about  20  or  30  miles  before  reach- 
ing the  Humboldt.  During  the  winter 
and  spring  fioods,  the  waters  reach  the 
Humboldt,  but  only  in  very  wet  times. 

Near  where  Reese  River  sinks  in  the 
valley  was  fought  the  celebrated  battle  be- 
tween the  Whites  and  Indians— settlers  and 
emigrants,  20  years  ago— which  gave  the 
general  name  of  Battle  Mountain  to  these 
ranges.  A party  of  marauding  Shoshone 
Indians  had  stolen  a lot  of  stock  from  the 
emigrants  and  settlers,  who  banded  them- 
selves together  and  gave  chase.  They  over- 
took them  at  this  point,  and  the  fight  com- 
menced. From  point  to  point,  from  rock 
to  rock,  down  to  the  water’s  edge  they  drove 
the  red  skins,  who,  finding  themselves  sur- 
rounded, fought  with  the  stubbornness  of 
despair.  When  night  closed  in,  the  set- 
tlers found  themselves  in  possession  of 
their  stock  ^ and  a hard-fought  field.  How 
many  Indians  emigrated  to  the  Happy 
Hunting  Grounds  of  the  spirits  no  one 
knew,  but  from  this  time  forward  the 
power  of  the  tribe  was  broken. 

From  Argenta,  it  is  11.8  miles  to 
I Battle  Mountain — This  is  a din- 
I ner  station  for  passenger  trains  from  both 
j the  East  and  West,  where  trains  stop  80 
I minutes.  The  waiters  are  Chinese,  and 
very  lively  while  serving  a good  meal.  I 


Water  for  the  little  fountain  in  front  of  the 
Battle  Mountain  House,  the  railroad,  and 
the  town,  is  conducted  in  pipes  from  a big 
spring  in  the  side  of  the  mountain,  three 
miles  to  the  south. 

There  are  several  stores,  hotels,  restau- 
rants and  saloons,  on  the  south  side  of  the 
depot ; also  some  large  freight  buildings, 
as  this  is  the  distributing  point  for  a great 
number  of  mining  districts,  towns,  and 
camps  to  the  southward. 

The  surrounding  country  is  alive  with 
herds  of  cattle,  particularly  on  the  north 
side  of  the  river,  and  this  station  has  be- 
come quite  a point  for  cattle  buyers,  from 
California,  to  stop  at  and  make  their  selec- 
tions. A stage  leaves  Battle  Mountain 
daily,  for  Battle  Mountain  mines,  seven 
miles.  Galena,  twelve  miles,  Austin,  90 
miles,  where  connections  are  made  for 
Eureka,  Hamilton,  Cortez,  Belmont — 171 
miles — and  all  intermediate  towms.  Stages 
also  run  to  Lewis  District,  14  miles,  and 
to  Tuscarora,  68  miles,  connecting  for  Rock 
Creek,  twelve  miles  further,  and  Cornu- 
copia, 20  miles.  Lewis  is  a new  mining 
district,  14  miles  south,  where  some  rich 
silver  mines  have  been  discovered  within 
the  last  two  years. 

Fast  freight  lines  leave  Battle  Mountain 
daily  for  most  of  the  cities,  towns  and  dis- 
tricts above  named.  The  tonnage  from 
Battle  Mountain  Station  averages  about 
500  per  month.  The  Messenger  is  a weekly 
paper  published  here. 

Battle  Mountain,  Galena,  and  Copper 
Canyon  mining  camps  are  in  the  moun- 
tains just  south  of  this  station,  and  further 
to  the  south  are  the  mining  districts  of 
Reese  River,  Washington,  Kinsley,  Cortez, 
Diamond,  Dun  Glen,  Humboldt,  Grass 
Valley,  and  several  others.  In  all  of  these 
districts  rich  mines  are  being  worked; 
stamp  mills  and  smelting  furnaces  are  nu- 
merous. Since  the  building  of  the  rail- 
road, low  freights  have  resulted  in  the  in- 
troduction of  more  and  better  machinery, 
the  reduction  in  cost  of  milling  ores,  and 
the  opening  and  working  of  veins  of  lower 
grade  ores,  which  could  not  be  profitably 
worked  when  wagon  freight  prices  ruled. 

Battle  Mountain  Station  is  in  Lander 
county,  the  county  seat  of  which  is  Aus- 
tin, 90  miles  south. 

Austin — is  situated  near  the  summit  of 
the  Toiyabe  Range,  on  the  ground  where 
the  first  silver  ore  w-as  discovered  in  this 
district,  in  May,  1862.  The  discoverer,  W. 


AND  PACIFIC  COAST  GUIDE. 


M.  Talcott,  located  the 
vein  andnamed  it  Poney. 

As  soon  as  it  beca.ne 
known,  prospeccors 
flocked  in,  and  the  coun- 
try was  pretty  thorough- 
ly prospected  during 
1862  and  1863,  Many 
veins  were  located,  some 
of  them  proving  very 
valuable.  Mills  were 
erected  at  difierent 
points,  and  from  that 
time  forward  the  dis- 
trict has  been  in  a pros- 
perous condition. 

Austin  contains  a pop- 
ulation of  about  2,000, 
nearly  all  of  whom 
are  engaged  in  mining 
operations.  The  town 
has  some  extensive 
stores  and  does  a very 
large  business  in  the 
way  of  furnishing  sup- 
plies for  the  mining 
camps  surrounding  it, 
for  fromSO  to  100  miles. 

The  Beese  Bi'cer  Beveille 
is  a live  daily  pub- 
lished here.  To  the  south  of  Battle 
Mountain  Station,  about  20  miles,  are 
several  hot  springs,  strongly  impreg- 
nated with  sulphur  and  other  minerals, 
but  they  attract  no  particular  attention, 
being  too  common  to  excite  curiosity. 

Leaving  the  station  we  skirt  the  base  of 
the  mountains  to  the  left,  leaving  the  river 
far  to  our  right  over  against  the  base  of 
Battle  Mountain.  We  are  now  in  the  wid- 
est part  of  the  valley,  about  opposite  the 
Big  Bend  of  the  Humboldt. 

After  passing  the  Palisades  the  river  in- 
clines to  the  south  for  aboutSO  miles,  when 
it  sweeps  away  to  the  north,  along  the  base 
of  Battle  Mountain,  for  30  miles  further ; 
then  turning  nearly  due  south,  it  follows 
that  direction  until  it  discharges  its  waters 
in  Humboldt  Lake,  about  50  miles  by  the 
river  course  from  the  great  elbow,  forming 
a vast  semi-circle,  washed  by  its  waters  for 
three-fourths  of  the  circumference.  This 
vast  area  of  land,  or  most  of  it,  comprising 
many  thousand  acres  of  level  upland,  bor- 
dered by  green  meadows,  is  susceptible  of 
cultivation  when  irrigated.  The  sage- 
brush grows  luxuriantly,  and  where  the 
alkali  beds  do  not  appear,  the  soil  produces 
a good  crop  of  bunch-grass.  The  road 


163 


takes  the  short  side  of  the  semi-circle 
keeping  close  to  the  foot  of  the  isolated 
Humboldt  Spur.  On  the  opposite  side  of 
the  river,  behind  the  Battle  Mountain 
Range,  are  several  valleys,  watered  by  the 
mountain  streams,  and  affording  a large 
area  of  first-class  farming  land.  Chief 
among  these  is  Quinn’s  Valley,  watered 
by  the  river  of  that  name.  The  arable 
portion  of  the  valley  is  about  75  miles  long, 
ranging  in  width  from  three  to  seven  miles. 
It  is  a fine  body  of  valley  land,  capable  of 
producing  luxuriant  crops  of  grain,  grass 
or  vegetables.  The  hills  which  enclose  it 
afford  excellent  pasturage.  Timber  of  va- 
rious qualities — spruce  and  pine  predomi- 
nating— is  found  in  the  gulches  and  ravines 
of  the  mountains. 

Quinn’s  Riveu,  which  flows  through  this 
valley,  is  a large  stream  rising  in  the  St. 
Rosa  Hills  of  the  Owyhee  range,  about  150 
miles  distant.  From  its  source  the  general 
course  of  the  river  is  due  south  for  about 
80  miles,  when  it  turns  and  runs  due  west 
until  it  reaches  Mud  Lake.  During  the 
summer  but  little,  if  any,  of  its  waters 
reach  that  place,  being  absorbed  by  the 
barren  plain  which  lies  between  the  foot- 
hills and  the  Humboldt  River.  Near  the 


TRUCKEE  RIVER. 


crofutt’s  new  overland  tourist 


164 


head-waters  of  Quinn’s  Kiver,  the  Crooked 
Creek,  or  Antelope,  rises  and  flows  due 
north  for  about  50  miles,  when  it  empties 
its  waters  into  the  Owyhee  River.  The 
head-waters  of  the  streams  which  run  from 
the  southern  slope  of  the  Owyhee  Moun- 
tains are  well  supplied  with  salmon  and 
trout,  and  other  varieties  of  fish.  Quail, 
grouse,  and  four-footed  game  are  abundant 
in  the  valleys  and  timbered  mountains. 

Piute— is  4.9  miles  west  of  Battle 
Mountain  Station — but  passenger  trains 
seldom  stop. 

C/Oin  a flag  station,  is  7.8  miles  west 
of  Piute. 

Ntone  House— is  7.1  miles  further. 
This  place  was  once  an  old  trading  post 
strongly  fortified  against  Indian  attacks’ 
The  Stone  House  stood  at  the  foot  of  an  ab- 
rupt  hill,  by  the  side  of  a spring  of  excel- 
lent water,  but  is  now  a mass  of  ruins.  To 
the  south  of  this  station  are  more  of  the 
many  hot  springs  that  abound  in  the  Ne- 
vada Basin. 

We  cross  a broad  sage-brush  bottom,  the 
soil  of  which  in  places  is  sandy  and  in 
others  alkaline,  and  then  wind  along  around 
the  base  of  a mountain  spur  that  shoots 
away  to  the  northward,  and  come  to 
Iron  Point- a small  side-track,  12.4 
miles  from  Stone  House.  Here  are  located 
a few  cattle-yards  and  shutes  for  loading 
cattle.  At  this  station  the  bluffs  draw 
close  and  high  on  each  side,  with  the  river 
and  a narrow  strip  of  meadow  land  on  the 
right.  After  passing  around  the  point  and 
through  numerous  cuts  for  two  miles,  the 
canyon  widens  into  a valley  for  several 
miles,  then  closes  in,  and  the  train  passes 
around  another  rocky  point  into  another 
valley,  and  stops  at 

Golconda— a station  11.4  miles  from 
Iron  Point.  This  is  a small  station  with  a 
few  good  buildings.  Large  herds  of  cattle 
range  near  by  in  the  surrounding  valleys, 
and  on  the  blufi’s.  Rich  mines  of  gold 
and  silver  are  located  both  to  the  north 
and  south ; one,  the  Golconda  mine  and 
mill,  only  three  miles  distant  to  the  south. 
Close  to  the  west  of  the  station,  under  the 
edge  of  the  blufl*  on  the  right,  are  located 
some  hot  springs.  Here  some  of  the  set- 
tlers—as  at  Springville,  Utah— use  the  hot 
water  for  their  advantage — one  for  millino* 
the  other  for  stimulating  the  soil.  ^ 

Continuing  our  journey,  we  pass  over  a 
broad  sage-brush  plain,  with  wide  mead- 
ows beyond,  for  10.9  miles  to 


^ Tule— an  unimportant  station.  Pass- 
ing on  down  the  valley  we  skirt  the  hills 
on  our  left,  drawing  still  closer,  in  some 
places  the  spurs  reaching  to  the  track.  On 
our  left  is  an  opening  in  the  hills,  from 
whence  a canyon  opens  out  near  the  road- 
side. ^ It  is  about  five  miles  long,  contain- 
ing living  springs.  Here  were  discovered 
the  first  mines  in  this  part  of  Nevada.  In 
the  spring  of  1860,  Mr.  Barbeau,  who  was 
herding  stock  for  Coperning,  discovered 
the  silver  ore,  and  from  this  beginning,  the 
prospecting  was  carried  on  with  vigor, 
which  resulted  in  locating  many  very  val- 
uable bodies  of  ore. 

From  Tule  it  is  5.8  miles  to  the  end  of 
the  Humboldt  division,  at  Winnemucca. 

H^innemiiccfl — is  the  commence- 
ment of  the  Truckee  Division.  The  station 
was  named  after  a chief  of  the  Piute  In- 
dians who  formerly  resided  here.  Eleva- 
tion 4,331  feet.  Distance  from  Omaha 
1,451  miles;  from  San  Francisco  463 
miles. 

Winnemucca  is  the  county  seat  of  Hum- 
boldt county,  and  is  composed  of  what  is 
known  as  the  old  and  new  towns,  which, 
together,  contain  about  800  inhabitants. 
The  old  town  is  situated  on  the  low  land 
directly  fronting  the  station,  about  300 
yards  distant.  Though  so  near,  it  is  hid 
from  sight  until  you  approach  the  bank 
and  look  over.  The  town  contains  about 
150  buildings  of  all  sorts,  among  which  are 
a fine  new  courthouse,  stamp  mill,  smelt- 
ing works,  flouring  mill,  and  a good  hotel, 
the  Central  Pacific. 

The  buildings  with  few  exceptions,  are 
of  wood,  new,  and  like  most  of  the  railroad 
towns,  more  useful  than  ornamental.  The 
cornpany  have  located  here  the  usual 
division  work  and  repair  shops,  including 
a 16-stall  round-house.  They  are  built  of 
wood  in  the  most  substantial  manner,  as 
are  all  the  shops  along  the  road. 

There  is  considerable  mining  going  on 
around  and  near  Winnemucca,  and  quite  a 
number  of  mills  and  furnaces  are  in  opera- 
tion, all  of  which  are  said  to  be  doing  well. 
In  the  Winnemucca  Range,  many  lodes  of 
silver-bearing  ore  have  been  located  which 
promise  a fair  return  for  working. 

Stages  leave  here  daily  for  Camp  Mc- 
Dermott, 80  miles,  fare  $15;  Paradise,  40 
miles,  fare  $5;  Silver  City,  Idaho,  200 
miles,  fare  $40 ; Boise  City,  255  miles,  fare 
$40.  Fast  freight  trains  run  from  this 
station  to  all  the  above  towns,  and  to  the 
mining  camps  in  the  adjoining  country. 


AND  PACIFIC  COAST  GUIDE. 


165 


TRUCEEE  DIVISION. 

WINNEMUCCA  TO  TRUCKEE. 


Frank  Free,  Division  8ux>erintendent. 


WEST  FROM  OMAHA. 


SACRAMENTO  TIME. 


EAST  FROM  CALIFORNIA. 


Daily 
Emigrant 
and  freight. 

Daily 
Express 
1st  & 2d  cl’s 

Distance 

from 

Omaha 

8:15  pm 

3:35  pm 

..1451.... 

9:10 

3:58 

..1461.... 

10:05 

4:22 

..1471.... 

10:50 

4:38 

..1478.... 

11:50 

5:05* 

..1491..  . 

12:55  a m 

5:55 

..1502  ... 

1:47 

6:21 

..1513..  . 

2:55 

6:50 

..1524.... 

3:40 

7.13 

..1533..  . 

4:39 

7:32 

..1540 

6:10 

8:05 

.1552.... 

7:15 

8:30 

..1559.... 

8:00 

8:48 

..1567.... 

9:10 

9:18 

..1577.... 

10:00 

9:33 

..1584.... 

10:20 

9:40 

..1586.... 

11:57 

10:15 

..1593.... 

12:37  pm 

10:35 

..1601.... 

1:40 

11:15 

..1613.... 

2:20 

11:40 

..1622... 

4:05 

12:50  a m 

..1631... 

4:15 

12:55 

..1632.... 

5:05 

1:25 

..1639  ... 

5:30 

1:40 

..1641.... 

6:15 

2:02 

..1647.  .. 

6:35 

2:10 

.1649.... 

7:00 

2:30 

..1652.... 

7:15  pm 

2:40 

..1655.... 

STATIONS. 


Elevati’n 


Lv. . . 4WINNJ;MU0CA Av 

Rose  Creek 

Raspberry 

tMill  Creek 

t Humboldt 

tRye  Patch 

fOreana 

Lovelocks 

Granite  Point 

t Brown’s 

White  Plains 

Mirage 

tHot  Springs 

Desert 

Two  Mile  Station 

^Wadsworth 

Salvia 

Clark’s 

Vista 

$Reno 

tVerdi 

Essex 

Mystic 

tBronco 

fBoca 

fProsser  Creek 

Proctors 

Ar tTRUCKEE Lv 


Daily 
Express 
1st  & 2d  cl’s 


...4315.. 

10 :40  a m 

12:00 

10:16 

11:05 

9:53 

11:15 

....4327.. 

9:35 

9:35 

....4228.. 

8:45* 

8:15 

....4233.. 

8:15 

7:05 

7:50 

6:00 

7:17 

4:30 

6:55 

3:40 

....3925.. 

6:40 

2:53 

6:10 

i:40 

....4199.. 

5:50 

12:50 

5:32 

12:07 

....4017.. 

5:03 

10:55 

....4155.. 

4:47 

10:15 

4:30 

9:00 

4:10 

8:23 

....4263.. 

3:50 

7:45 

3:12 

6:40 

2:30 

5:00 

...4927.. 

1:50 

4:05 

1:45 

3:45 

...  5216.. 

1:25 

3:10 

1:10 

2:50 

....5533.. 

12:48 

2:15 

...5610.. 

12:42 

1:50 

....5720.. 

12:25 

1:30 

....5845.. 

12:15  a m 

1 :15 

Daily 
Emigrant 
and  freight 


p m 


t Day  Telegraph.  $ Day  and  Night  Telegraph  * Meals. 

The  passenger’s  attention  is  directed  to  the  elevation  of  each  station. 


The  Silver  State^  a weekly  newspaper, 
is  published  here.  Winnemucca  is  the 
great  distributing  point  for  a number  of 
mining  districts  to  the  north  and  south,  and 
does  an  extensive  freighting  business. 
Many  herds  of  cattle  and  sheep  range  the 
adjacent  country,  and  large  numbers  are 
brought  here  for  shipment  to  California. 

Mud  Lake — is  about  50  miles  west  of 
this  station  across  the  Humboldt,  which 
here  turns  to  the  south,  and  is  one  of  those 
peculiar  lakes  found  in  the  great  basin  of 
Nevada.  The  lake  receives  the  waters  of 
Quinn’s  River  and  several  smaller  tribu- 
taries during^  the  wet  season.  It  has  no 
outlet,  unless  its  connection  with  Pyramid 
and  Winnemucca  lakes  could  be  so  desig- 
nated.^ It^  is  about  50  miles  long  by  20 
wide,  in  high  water ; in  summer  it  dwin- 
dles down  to  a marshy  tract  of  land  and  a 


large  stagnant  pool.  At  the  head  of  the 
lake  is  Black  Rock,  a noted  landmark,  in 
this  part  of  the  country.  It  is  a bold,  rocky 
headland,  rising  about  1,800  feet  above  the 
lake,  bleak,  bare,  and  extending  for  several 
miles.  It  is  an  isolated  peak  in  this  desert 
waste,  keeping  solitary  guard  amid  the 
surrounding  desolation. 

Pyramid  Lake — is  about  20  miles  south 
of  Mud  Lake,  which  receives  the  waters  of 
Truckee  River.  It  is  about  30  miles  long 
by  20  wide  during  the  wet  seasons.  The 
quality  of  the  water  is  superior  to  that  of 
Mud  Lake,  though  the  water  of  all  these 
lakes  is  more  or  less  brackish. 

Winnemucca  Lake — a few  miles  east 
of  Pyramid  Lake,  is  another  stagnant 
pond,  about  15  miles  long  by  ten  wide.  This 
lake  is  connected  with  Pyramid  Lake  by  a 
small  stream,  and  that  in  turn  with  Mud 


crofutt's  new  overland  tourist 


166 


Lake,  but  only  during  high  water,  when 
the  streams  flowing  into  them  cause  them 
to  spread  far  over  the  low,  sandy  waste 
around  them. 

Returning  to  Winnemucca,  we  resume 
our  journey.  The  road  bears  away  to  the 
southward,  skirting  the  low  hills  which 
extend  from  the  Winnemucca  Mountain 
toward  Humboldt  Lake.  The  general 
aspect  of  the  country,  is  sage  and  alkali  on 
the  bottoms,  and  sage  and  bunch-grass  on 
the  bluflfs. 

Rose  Creek — comes  next,  8.88  miles, 
and  10.2  more. 

Raspberry  Creek— Both  the  last 
named  are  unimportant  stations  where  pas- 
senger trains  seldom  stop.  They  are  each 
named  after  creeks  near  the  stations,  but 
why  one  should  be  Rose  Creek  and  the 
other  Raspberry  Creek,  we  never  could 
learn.  We  saw  no  indication  of  roses  or 
raspberries  at  either  creek.  But  they 
have  queer  names  for  things  in  this 
country.  Where  they  call  a Jack  rabbit  a 
“ narrow  gauge  mule,”  we  are  prepared  to 
hear  sage-brush  called  roses,  and  grease- 
wood  raspberries. 

Mill  City — is  7.49  miles  from  Rasp- 
berry, and  has  some  good  buildings,  among 
which  is  a fine  hotel,  close  to  the  track  on 
the  right — and  large  freight  warehouses; 
also  cattle  pens  and  shutes  for  shipping 
cattle,  great  numbers  of  which  roam  over 
the  bottoms  and  adjacent  bluffs.  Stages 
leave  this  station  on  arrival  of  the  cars  for 
Unionville,  a thrifty  and  promising  silver 
mining  town,  18  miles  distant  to  the  south- 
ward. 

Mnmboldt — 11.7  miles  from  Mill 
City,  is  a regular  eating  station  where 
trains  for  the  West  stop  30  minutes  for 
supper,  and  those  for  the  East  the  same 
time  for  breakfast.  The  meals  are  the  lest 
on  the  road. 

Here  will  be  found  the  clearest,  coldest 
mountain  spring  water  along  the  road,  and 
viewing  it  as  it  shoots  up  from  the  fountain 
in  front  of  the  station,  one  quite  forgets  the 
look  of  desolation  observable  on  every 
side,  and  that  this  station  is  on  the  edge  of 
the  great  Nevada  Desert. 

It  is  worth  the  while  of  any  tourist  who 
wishes  to  examine  the  wonders  of  nature 
to  stop  here  and  remain  for  a few  days  at 
least — for  one  day  will  not  suffice — although 
to  the  careless  passer-by  the  country  ap- 
pears devoid  of  interest.  Those  who  wish 
to  delve  into  nature’s  mysteries  can  here  find 
pleasant  and  profitable  employment.  The 


whole  sum  of  man’s  existence  does  not  con- 
sist in  mines,  mills,  merchandise  and 
money.  There  are  other  ways  of  employ- 
ing the  mind  besides  bending  its  energies 
to  the  accumulation  of  wealth ; there  is  still 
another  God,  mightier  than  Mammon,  wor- 
shiped by  the  few.  Among  the  works  of 
His  hands — these  barren  plains,  brown 
hills  and  curious  lakes — the  seeker  after 
knowledge  can  find  ample  opportunities  to 
gratify  his  taste.  The  singular  formation 
of  the  soil,  the  lava  deposits  of  a by-gone 
age,  the  fossil  remains  and  marine  evi- 
dences of  past  submersion,  and,  above  all 
else,  the  grand  and  unsolved  problem  by 
which  the  waters  that  are  continually  pour- 
ing into  this  great  basin  are  prevented  from 
overflowing  the  low  land  around  them,  are 
objects  worthy  of  the  close  attention  and 
investigation  of  the  scholar  and  philoso- 
pher. From  this  station,  the  noted  points 
of  the  country  are  easy  of  access. 

Here  one  can  observe  the  eftects  of  irri- 
gation on  this  sandy,  sage-brush  country. 
The  garden  at  the  station  produces  vege- 
tables, corn  and  fruit  trees  luxuriantly,  and 
yet  but  a short  time  has  elapsed  since  it 
was  covered  with  a rank  growth  of  sage- 
brush. 

About  seven  miles  to  the  northeast  may 
be  seen  Star  Peak,  the  highest  point  in  the 
Humboldt  Range,  on  which  the  snow  con- 
tinues to  hold  its  icy  sway  the  whole  year 
round.  Two  and  one-half  miles  southeast 
are  the  Humboldt  mines — five  in  number — 
rich  in  gold  and  silver.  The  discovery  of 
a borax  mine  near  the  station  has  been  re- 
cently reported.  Five  miles  to  the  north- 
west are  the  Lanson  Meadows,  on  which 
are  cut  immense  quantities  of  as  good 
grass  as  can  be  found  in  the  country. 
Thirty  miles  north  are  the  new  sulphur 
mines,  where  that  suspicious^  has 

been  found  in  an  almost  pure  state,  and  so 
hard  that  it  requires  to  be  blasted  before  it 
can  be  got  out  of  the  mine,  and  in  quanti- 
ties sufficient  to  enable  those  operating  the 
mine  to  ship  from  20  to  30  car-loads  a 
week  to  San  Francisco.  Leaving  Hum- 
boldt, about  one  mile  distant,  on  the  right 
near  the  road,  is  another  sulphur  mine — 
but  nothing  has  been  done  with  it. 

Rye  Patch — is  11.23  miles  from  Hum- 
boldt, named  for  a species  of  wild  rye  that 
grows  luxuriantly  on  the  moist  ground 
near  the  station . 

To  the  left  of  the  road,  against  the  hill- 
side, is  another  hot  spring,  over  whose  sur- 
face a cloud  of  vapor  is  generally  floating. 


AXD  PACIFIC 

COAST  GUIDE.  167 

The  medicinal  qualities  of  the  water  are 
highly  spoken  of  by  those  who  never  tried 
them,  but  we  could  learn  of  no  reliable 
analysis  of  its  properties.  To  the  right  of 
the  track  is  located  a 10-stamp  quartz  mill, 
the  ores  for  which  come  from  the  moun- 
tains on  the  left.  The  Rye  Patch  and  El- 
dorado mining  Districts  are  to  the  left, 
from  five  to  fifteen  miles  distant,  for  which 
most  of  the  supplies  are  hauled  from  this 
station. 

Oreana — is  reached  after  passing  over 
a rough,  uneven  country  for  10. 1 2 miles. 
To  the  southeastward  are  located  a num- 
ber of  mining  districts,  in  which  are  lo- 
cated a number  of  stamp  mills  and  smelt- 
ing works. 

Leaving  the  station  to  the  west,  the  long 
gray  line  of  the  desert  is  seen  cheerless 
and  desolate.  We  draw  near  the  river 
again  and  catch  occasional  glimpses  of 
narrow,  green  meadows,  with  here  and 
there  a farm-house  by  the  river-side; 
pass  a smelting  furnace  and  stamp  mill — 
on  the  Humboldt  River — to  the  right,  which 
has  been  dammed  near  by  to  afford  water 
power.  Five  miles  from  the  station  we 
cross  a Howe  truss  bridge  over  the  river, 
which  here  winds  away  on  our  left  until  it 
reaches  the  lake  a few  miles  beyond.  The 
current  and  volume  of  the  river  has  been 
materially  reduced  since  we  left  it  at  the 
head  of  the  Big  Bend. 

liOveloclts — 11.86  miles  from  Ore- 
ana,  derives  its  name  from  an  old  meadow 
ranche  which  is  situated  near,  upon  which, 
during  the  summer,  large  quantities  of  hay 
are  cut  and  baled  for  market.  Some  at- 
tempt has  been  made  at  farming  near  by, 
but  little  of  the  country  is  adapted  to  the 
purpose.  Cattle  and  sheep  raising  is  the 
principal  occupation  of  the  people — but 
few  herds  will  be  seen  hereafter  on  our 
route.  Reliable  authority  places  the  num- 
ber of  head  of  stock  now  along  the  Hum- 
boldt River  and  adjacent  valleys — 1877 — 
cattle,  340,000  head;  sheep,  30,000  head. 
During  the  year  there  were  shipped  from 
the  same  section  to  Chicago  60  car-loads  of 
cattle,  and  456  car-loads  to  San  Francisco. 

Passing  on  over  alkali  beds,  sand-hills 
and  sage-brush  knobs,  the  meadow-lands 
along  the  bottom  get  narrower,  and 
finally  fade  from  sight  altogether,  and  we 
find  ourselves  fairly  out  on  the 

Great  Nevada  Desert — This  desert 
occupies  the  largest  portion  of  the  Ne- 
vada Basin.  In  this  section,  to  the  north- 
ward, is  Mud  Lake,  Pyramid  Lake,  Hum- 

boldt,  Winnemucca  and  Carson  lakes, 
which  receive  the  waters  of  several  large 
rivers  and  numerous  small  creeks.  As  we 
have  before  stated,  they  form  a portion  of 
that  vast  desert  belt  which  constitutes  the 
central  area  of  the  Nevada  Basin.  The 
desert  consists  of  barren  plains  destitute  of 
wood  or  water,  and  low,  broken  hills, 
which  afford  but  little  wood,  water  or 
grass.  It  is  a part  of  that  belt  which  can 
be  traced  through  the  whole  length  of  the 
State,  from  Oregon  to  Arizona,  and  far 
into  the  interior  of  that  Territory.  The 
Forty  Mile  Desert,  and  the  barren  country 
east  of  Walker’s  Lake,  are  part  of  this 
great  division  which  extends  southward, 
continued  by  those  desolate  plains,  to  the 
east  of  Silver  Peak,  on  which  the  unfortu- 
nate Buel  party  suffered  so  terribly  in  their 
attempt  to  reach  the  Colorado  River. 
Throughout  this  vast  extent  of  territory 
the  same  characteristics  are  found — evi- 
dences of  recent  volcanic  action — alkaline 
flats,  bassalt  rocks,  hot  springs  and  sandy 
wastes  abounding  in  all  portions  of  this 
great  belt. 

Although  this  desert  is  generally  spoken 
of  as  a sandy  waste,  sand  does  not  predom- 
inate. Sand  hills  and  flats  occur  at  inter- 
vals, but  the  main  bed  of  the  desert  is  lava 
and  clay  combined — one  as  destitute  of  the 
power  of  creating  or  supporting  vegetable 
life  as  the  other.  The  action  of  the 
elements  has  covered  these  clay  and  lava 
deposits  with  a coarse  dust,  resembling 
sand,  which  is  blown  about  and  deposited 
in  curious  drifts  and  knolls  by  the  wind. 
Where  more  of  sand  than  clay  is  found, 
the  sage-brush  occasionally  appears  to  have 
obtained  a faint  hold  of  life,  and  bravely 
tries  to  retain  it. 

Oranite  Point— a flag  station,  is 
8.33  miles  from  Lovelock’s.  Passing  on, 
an  occasional  glimpse  of  Humboldt  Lake, 
which  lies  to  the  left  of  the  road,  can  be 
obtained,  and  in  full  view  7.65  miles  fur- 
ther, at 

Brown’s — This  station  is  situated 
about  midway  of  the  northern  shore, 
directly  opposite 

Humboi.dt  Lake — This  body  of  water  is 
about  35  miles  long  by  ten  wide,  and  is  in 
reality  a widening  of  the  Humboldt  River, 
which  after  coursing  through  350  miles  of 
country,  empties  its  waters  into  this  basin. 
Through  this  basin  the  water  flows  to  the 
plains  beyond  by  an  outlet  at  the  lower  end 
of  the  lake,  uniting  with  the  waters  of  the 

1 sink  of  Carson  Lake  which  lies  about  ten 

168 


ceofutt’s  new  overland  tourist 


miles  distant.  During  the  wet  season, 
when  the  swollen  rivers  have  overflowed 
the  low  lands  around  the  lakes  and  united 
them,  they  form  a very  respectable  sheet  of 
water,  about  eighty  miles  or  more  in  length, 
with  a large  river  emptying  its  waters  into 
each  end ; and  for  this  vast  volume  of  water 
there  is  no  visible  outlet. 

Across  the  outlet  of  Humboldt  Lake  a 
ciam  has  been  erected,  which  has  raised 
the  water  about  six  feet,  completely  oblit- 
erating the  old  emigrant  road  which  passed 
close  to  the  southern  shore.  The  necessi" 
ties  of  mining  have  at  length  utilized  the 
waters  of  the  lake,  and  now  they  are  em- 
ployed in  turning  the  machinery  of  a 
quartz  mill.  In  the  lower  end  of  the  lake 

IS  an  island — along  narrow  strip  of  land 

which  extends  up  the  lake  and  near  the 
northern  shore.  Before  the  dam  was  put 
in  the  outlet,  this  island  was  part  of  the 
mam  land.  There  are  several  varieties  of 
fish  in  the  lake,  and  an  abundance  of 
water-fowl  during  portions  of  the  year. 

Leaving  Brown’s,  and  passing  along  the 
shore  of  the  lake  for  a few  miles,  an  inter- 
vening sand  ridge  hides  the  lake  from  our 
sight,  and  about  eight  miles  west  we  ob- 
tain a fine  view  of  the  Sink  of  Carson  Lake, 
which  is  a small  body  of  water  lying  a few 
miles  north  of  the  main  Carson  Lake,  and 
connected  with  that  and  the  Humboldt  dur- 
ing the  wet  season. 

Carson  Lake  lies  directly  south  of 
Humboldt  Lake,  and  is  from  20  to  25  miles 
long,  with  a width  of  ten  miles.  In  the 
winter  its  waters  cover  considerable  more 
area,  the  Sink  and  lake  being  one. 

The  Carson  River  empties  into  the  south- 
ern end  of  the  lake,  discharging  a large 
volume  of  water.  What  becomes  of  the 
vast  body  of  water  continually  pouriug 
into  these  lakes,  is  the  problem  yet  un- 
solved. Some  claim  the  existence  of  un- 
derground channels,  and  terrible  stories 
are  told  of  unfortunate  people  who  have 
been  drawn  down  and  disappeared  for- 
ever These  stories  must  be  taken  with 
much  allowance.  If  underground  chan- 
nels exist,  why  is  it  that  the  lakes,  which 
are  10  to  15  miles  apart  in  low  water 
are  united  during  the  winter  floods? 
And  how  is  it,  that  when  the  waters  have 
subsided  from  these  alkaline  plains,  that  no 
openings  for  these  channels  are  visible  ? 

1 he  only  rational  theory  for  the  escape  of 
the  water  is  by  evaporation.  Examine 
each  little  stream  bed  that  you  meet  with  • 
you  find  no  water  there  in  the  summer, 


nor  sink  holes,  yet  in  the  winter  their  beds 
are  full  until  they  reach  the  main  river, 
the  sun  is  so  powerful  on  tliese  lava 
plains  in  summer  that  the  water  evapo- 
rates as  soon  as  it  escapes  from  the  cooling 
shadows  of  the  hills.  By  acutal  experi- 
ment It  has  been  demonstrated  that  at 
Carson  and  Humboldt  lakes  the  evapora- 
tion  of  water  is  equal,  in  the  summer,  to 
SIX  inches  every  24  hours.  In  the  winter, 
when  the  atmosphere  is  more  humid,  evap- 
oration  is  less,  consequently  the  waters 
spread  over  a larger  area. 

.1,  Riveb,  which  gives  its  name  to 

the  lake,  rises  in  the  eastern  slope  of  the 
Sierra  Nevada  Mountains,  south  of  Lake 
Tahoe  and  opposite  the  head  waters  of  the 
American  River.  Prom  its  source  to  its 
mouth  IS  about  150  to  200  miles  by  the  riv- 
er’s course.  From  its  source  its  course  is 
about  due  north  for  about  75  miles,  when  it 
turns  to  the  east,  and  follows  that  direction 
until  it  enters  the  lake. 

Under  the  general  name  of  Carson  Val- 
ley,  the  land  bordering  the  river  has  long 
been  celebrated  as  being  one  of  the  best 
farming  sections  in  the  State.  The  thriv- 
ing towns  of  Carson  City  and  Genoa  are 
situated  in  the  valley,  though  that  portion 
around  Carson  City  is  frequently  designa- 
ted as  Eagle  Valley.  The  upper  portion, 
from  Carson  to  the  foothills,  is  very  fertile, 
and  yields  handsome  crops  of  vegetables’, 
though  irrigation  is  necessary  to  insure  a 
good  yield.  In  some  portions  the  small 
grains  are  successfully  cultivated,  and  on 
the  low  lands  an  abundant  crop  of  grass  is 
produced.  The  valley  is  thickly  settled, 
the  arable  land  being  mostly  occupied. 
South  and  west  of  the  head  waters  of  Car- 
son  River,  the  head  waters  of  Walker’s 
River  find  their  source.  The  west  fork  of 
Walker’s  River  rises  within  a few  miles  of 
the  eastern  branches  of  the  Carson.  The 
east  fork  of  Walker’s  River  runs  due  north 
until  joined  by  the  west  fork,  when  the 
course  of  the  river  is  east  for  about  forty 
miles,  when  it  turns  to  the  south,  following 
that  direction  until  it  reaches  Walker’s 
Lake,  about  forty  miles  south  of  the  sink 
of  the  Carson,  having  traversed  in  its  tortu- 
ous coupe  about  140  miles.  In  the  val- 
leys, which  are  found  at  intervals  along  the 
rivers,  occasional  spots  of  arable  lane?  are 
found,  but  as  an  agricultural  country  the 
valley  of  Walker’s  River  is  not  a success. 

Walker  Lake  is  about  45  miles  long 
by  20  niiles  wide.  Like  all  the  lakes  in 
tlie  basin,  it  has  no  outlet.  The  water  is 


AND  PACIFIC  COAST  GUIDE.  169 


brackish  and  strongly  impregnated  with 
alkali.  The  general  characteristics  of  the 
other  lakes  in  the  great  basin  belong  to  this 
also ; the  description  of  one  embracing  all 
points  belonging  to  the  others. 

White  Plains— is  12.17  miles 
west  of  Brown’s.  This  station  is  the  low- 
est elevation  on  the  Central  Pacific  railroad 
east  of  the  Sierra  Nevada  Mountains.  As 
indicated  by  the  name,  the  plains  imme- 
diately around  the  station  are  white  with 
alkali,  solid  beds  of  which  slope  away  to 
the  sinks  of  Carson  and  Humboldt  lakes. 
No  vegetation  meets  the  eye  when  gazing 
on  the  vast  expanse  of  dirty  white  alkali. 
The  sun’s  rays  seem  to  fall  perpendicularly 
down  on  this  barren  scene,  burning  and 
withering,  as  though  they  would  crush  out 
any  attempt  which  nature  might  make  to 
introduce  vegetable  life. 

The  water  to  fill  the  big  tank  at  the  sta- 
tion is  pumped  from  the  “ Sink  ” by  means 
of  a stationary  engine,  which  is  situated 
about  midway  between  the  station  and  the 
Sink. 

mirag^e — is  7.96  miles  from  White 
Plains.  This  station  is  named  for  that  cu- 
rious phenomenon,  the  mirage  (meerazh) 
which  is  often  witnessed  on  the  desert. 
In  early  days  the  toil-worn  emigrant,  when 
urging  his  weary  team  across  the  cheerless 
desert,  has  often  had  his  heart  lightened 
by  the  sight  of  clear,  running  streams, 
waving  trees  and  broad,  green  meadows, 
which  appeared  to  be  but  a little  distance 
away.  Often  has  the  unwary  traveler 
turned  aside  from  his  true  course  and  fol- 
lowed the  vision  for  weary  miles,  only  to 
learn  that  he  had  followed  a phantom,  a 
will-o’-the-wisp. 

What  causes  these  optical  delusions  no 
one  can  tell,  at  least  we  never  heard  of  a 
satisfactory  reason  being  given  for  the  ap- 
pearance of  the  phenomenon.  We  have 
seen  the  green  fields,  the  leafy  trees  and 
the  running  waters;  we  have  seen  them  all 
near  by,  as  bright  and  beautiful  as  though 
they  really  existed,  where  they  appeared 
too,  in  the  midst  of  desolation,  and  we  have 
seen  them  vanish  at  our  approach.  Who 
knows  how  many  luckless  travelers  have 
followed  these  visions,  until,  overcome  with 
thirst  and  heat,  they  laid  down  to  die  on  the 
burning  sands,  far  from  the  cooling  shade 
of  the  trees  they  might  never  reach ; far 
from  the  music  of  running  waters,  which 
they  might  hear  no  more. 

Onward  we  go,  reclining  on  the  soft 
cushions  of  the  elegant  palace  car,  thirty 


miles  an  hour;  rolling  over  the  alkali 
and  gray  lava  beds,  scarcely  giving  a 
thought  to  those  who,  in  early  days,  suf- 
fered so  fearfully  while  crossing  these 
plains,  and,  perchance,  left  their  bones 
to  bleach  and  whiten  upon  these  barren 
sands. 

Hot  l^pring;^  — is  6.57  miles  west  of 
Mirage.  Here,  to  the  right  of  the  road,  can 
be  seen  more  of  these  bubbling,  spurting 
curiosities— these  escape  pipes,  or  safety 
valves  for  the  discharge  of  the  super-abun- 
dant steam  inside  the  globe,  which  are 
scattered  over  the  great  basin.  Extensive 
salt  works  are  located  at  this  station,  from 
which  a car-load  or  more  of  salt  is  shipped 
daily.  The  salt  springs  are  about  four 
miles  west  of  the  station. 

The  Saxon  American  Borax  Co.  have 
erected  works  here  which  cost  about  $200,- 
000.  They  are  situated  a half-mile  south  of 
the  station,  in  plain  view. 

Passing  on,  we  find  no  change  to  note, 
unless  it  be  that  the  beds  of  alkali  are  oc- 
casionally intermixed  with  brown  patches 
of  lava  and  sand.  A few  bunches  of 
stunted  sage-brush  occasionally  break  the 
monotony  of  the  scene.  It  is  worthy  of 
notice  that  this  hardy  shrub  is  never  found 
growing  singly  and  alone.  The  reason  for 
it  is  evident.  No  single  shrub  could  ever 
maintain  an  existence  here.  It  must  have 
help ; consequently  we  find  it  in  clumps  for 
mutual  aid  and  protection. 

Desert— is  11.7  miles  from  Hot 
Springs.  This  is,  indeed,  a desert.  In  the 
next  5.97  miles,  we  gain  about  100  feet  alti- 
tude, pass  Two  Mile  Station,  descend  82 
feet  in  the  next  2.37  miles,  and  apiye  at 

^Vadsworth — This  town  is  situated 
on  the  east  bank  of  the  Truckee  River  and 
the  western  border  of  the  desert,  and  con- 
tains some  good  buildings,  and  a popula- 
tion of  about  450. 

The  division  workshops  are  located 
here,  and  consist  of  a round-house  of  20 
stalls,  car,  machine  and  blacksmith  shops. 
Adjoining  the  workshops,  a piece  of  land 
has  been  fenced  in,  set  out  with  trees,  a 
fountain  erected,  and  a sward^  formed,  by 
sowing  grass-seed  and  irrigatiug  it — mak- 
ing a beautiful  little  oasis.  Considerable 
freight  is  shipped  from  this  station  to  min- 
ing camps  to  the  south. 

Pine  Grove  Copper  Mines  lies  six  miles 
south  of  the  town.  They  attract  little  at- 
tention, that  mineral  not  being  much 
sought  after.  Ten  miles^  south  are  the 
Desert  mines,  which  consist  of  gold-bear- 


vSHEDS — SEE  PAGE  183. 


ing  quartz  lodes.  Some  of  the  mines 
there  are  considered  very  ricli.  Ninety 
miles  south,  at  Columbus,  are  located  the 
famous  Borax  mines  of  Nevada,  said  to  be 
very  rich. 


Leaving 
Wadsworth,  we 
cross  the  Truc- 
kee  River,  on 
a Howe  truss 
bridge,  our 
course  being  to 
the  southwest. 
This  stream 
rises  in  Lakes 
Tahoe  and 
Donner,  which 
lie  at  the  east- 
ern base  of  the 
Sierras,  about 
80  miles  dis- 
tant. From  its 
source  .in  Lake 
Tahoe,  the 
branch  runs 
north  tor  about 
twelve  miles, 
w h e n — near 
TruckeeCity — 
it  unites  with 
Little  Truckee, 
the  outlet  of 
Donner  Lake, 
and  turns  to 
theeast,follow- 
ing  that  course 
until  it  reaches 
this  place, 
where  it  turns 
north  about  25 
miles,  branch- 
es, and  one  por- 
tion enters  Pyr- 
amid and  the 
other  W inne- 
mucca  Lake. 


The  level 
lands  bord(*r- 
ingtheTruckee 
consist  mostly  of  gravelly  upland  covered 
with  sage-brush.  It  is  ciaimed  that  they 
might  be  rendered  productive  by  irriga- 
tion, and  the  experiment  has  been  tried  in 
a small  way,  but  with  no  llattering  result. 


AND  PACIFIC  COAST  GUIDE 


171 


The  upper  portions  of  the  valley,  especially 
that  which  borders  on  J.ake  Tahoe,  is  ex- 
cellent farming  land.  Between  these  two 
points — the  meadows  and  the  lake — but 
little  meadow  land  is  found,  the  val- 
ley being  reduced  to  narrow  strips  of 
low  land  in  the  canyons  and  narrows,  and 
broad,  gravelly  uplands  in  the  more  open 
country. 

I^al  via — a small  side-track,  comes  next 
after  Wadsworth,  7.25  miles  distant.  Soon 
we  pass  around  a lava  bluff,  called  Red 
Rock,  on  the  right,  and  7.55  miles  brings 
us  to 

Clarkes  — in  a round  valley,  sur- 
rounded by  fenced  fields,  where  good 
crops  of  vegetables  are  raised  for  market 
in  mining  towns  to  the  south.  From 
Clark’s,  it  is  11.96  miles  to 

Vista — a small  station  situated  on  the 
northern  edge  of  what  is  known  as  the 
Truckee  Meadows.  In  early  days  these 
meadows  were  a noted  rendezvous  of  the 
emigrants,  who  camped  here  for  days  to 
recruit  their  teams  after  crossing  the  desert. 
They  have  an  extent  of  about  twelve  miles 
in  length  by  about  two  miles  in  width, 
inclosing  considerable  excellent  grass 
land.  Vegetables  and  small  grains  are 
successfully  cultivated  on  portions  of  the 
moist  land. 

Reno — is  7.64  miles  from  Vista;  is  the 
county  seat  of  Washo  county,  and  contains 
a population  of  about  1,500.  It  was  named 
in  honor  of  General  Reno,  who  was  killed  at 
the  battle  of  South  Mountain.  This  city  has 
rapidly  improved  within  the  last  six  years, 
and  now  contains  five  church  edifices,  two 
banks,  a fine  court-house,  a number  of  good 
business  blocks,  a steam  fire  department, 
several  small  factories,  two  daily  news- 
papers, the  J ournal  and  the  Gazette^  and  is 
the  distributing  point  for  an  enormous 
freighting  business  to  the  north,  as  well  as 
the  south.  Some  good  agricultural  land 
surrounds  the  town,  as  well  as  many  herds 
of  cattle  and  sheep.  The  State  Agricul- 
tural grounds  are  located  here,  in  which  is 
a very  fine  race  track.  The  Lake  House  is 
the  principal  hotel.  Stages  leave  daily  for 
Susanville,  90  miles. 

The  English  works  are  near  the  town, 
affording  excellent  means  by  which  to  test 
the  ores  discovered  in  the  neighborhood. 

The  greatest  mining  region  in  the  world 
is  reached  via  Reno.  Virginia  City,  located 
over  the  mountain  to  the  southeast,  from 
this  station  is  only  21  miles  distant,  by  the 
old  wagon  road,  but  by  rail  it  is  52  miles. 


Before  the  completion  of  this  road,  Vir- 
ginia City  was  reached  by  stage,  over  a 
fearfully  steep  zig-zag  mountain  road,  but 
the  difference  between  the  “old  and  the 
new”  is  more  than  made  up  in  the  com- 
fort of  the  passage  if  not  in  time. 

At  the  time  when  these  stages  were  run- 
ning to  convey  passengers,  a fast  “ Pony 
Express  ” was  run  for  the  purpose  of  carry- 
ing Wells,  Fargo  & Co.’s  letter  bags.  This 
pony  express  was  once  a great  institution. 
When  it  left  Reno,  the  traveler  could  have 
observed  that  the  mail  express  bags  were 
thrown  from  the  cars  before  the  train  had 
ceased  its  motion.  By  watching  the  pro- 
ceedings still  further  he  "would  see  that 
they  are  transferred  to  the  backs  of  stout 
horses,  already  bestrode  by  light,  wiry 
riders.  In  a moment  all  is  ready,  and 
away  they  dash  under  whip  and  spur  to 
the  next  station,  when,  changing  horses, 
they  are  off  again.  Three  relays  of  horses 
were  used,  and  some  “ good  time  ” was  often 
made  by  these  riders. 

Let  us  take  a run  up  and  see  this 
Huge  Bonanza  Country. 


Virginia  & Truckee  Railroad. 

Principal  office,  Carson,  Nevada. 

D.  0.  Mills Preset San  Faancisco, 

H.  M.  Yerington Gen'' I Su^ft — Carson^  Nev, 

E.  Niles GenHT.A.  ...  “ “ 

This  load  was  commenced  at  Carson 
City,  March  19th,  1869,  completed  to  Vir- 
ginia City  in  the  following  November,  and 
to  Reno  in  1871.  The  length  is  52.2  miles ; 
the  grade  in  places  is  115  feet  to  the  mile, 
and  there  are  six  tunnels,  of  the  aggregate 
length  of  3,000  feet;  the  shortest  curve  is 
19  degrees— between  Gold  Hill  and  Vir- 
ginia City. 

The  train  for  Virginia  stands  on  the  oppo- 
site side  of  the  station  building  from  the 
C.  P.  Let  us  step  on  board.  From  Reno, 
our  course  is  east  of  south,  crossing  a por- 
tion of  the  Truckee  Meadows,  a few  well- 
cultivated  fields  and  greater  quantities  of 
sage  and  grease-wood.  The  first  station  on 
the  bills  is  3.5  miles  from  Reno,  called 

Anderson’s — but  we  do  not  stop.  Cross- 
ing the  river,  we  pass  the  first  of  a series 
of  V-shaped  flumes,  which  are  constructed 
to  float  down  wood  and  lumber  from  the 
mountains.  The  one  we  are  now  passing 
is  said  to  be  15  miles  in  length. 

Huff  AKER’S  — comes  next — after  3.6 
miles,  where  another  flume  is  passed,  both 
of  which  are  on  the  right,  and  land  their 


cbofutt’s  kew  overland  tourist 

freight— wood— close  to  the  track  of  oui 
road.  Along  here  we  find  some  broad 
meadows  on  the  left,  but  sage  on  the  rivht 
Passing  over  1.9  miles  from  the  last  station 
we  arrive  at 

Brown’s— Here  is  the  erd  of  another 
flume,  and  2.4  miles  further,  and  after 
curving  around  to  the  right,  up  a broad 
valley,  arrive  at  the 

Steamboat  Spbings— which  are  eleven 
miles  south  of  Reno.  There  are  several  of 
these  curious  springs  within  a short  dis- 
tance  of  the  road.  They  are  near  each 
other,  all  having  a common  source,  though 
diflerent  outlets,  apparently.  Thev  are  sit 
uated  to  the  right  of  the  road,  jut?  before 
reaching  the  station,  a short  distance  above 
the  track ; are  strongly  impregnated  with 
sulphur,  and  are  very  hot,  though  the  tern- 
perature  varies  in  difl^erent  springs. 

They  are  said  to  possess  excellent  me- 
dicinal qualities.  At  times  they  are  quite 
active,  emitting  jets  of  water  and  clouds 
01  steam,  '^ich  at  a distance  resemble  the 
blowing  off  of  steam  from  a large  boiler. 
The  ground  around  them  is  soft  and  treach- 
erous in  places,  as  though  it  had  been 
thrown  up  by  the  springs,  and  had  not  yet 
cooled  or  hardened.  It  is  related  that  once 
upon  a time,  when  a party  of  emigrants, 
who  were  toiling  across  the  plains,  arrived 
near  these  springs  about  camping  time 
they  serit  a man  ahead— a Dutchman— to 
look  out  for  a suitable  place  for  camping- 
one  where  water  and  grass  could  be  ob- 
tained  In  his  search  the  Dutchman  dis- 
covered these  springs,  which  happened  to 
be  quiet  at  the  time,  and  knelt  down  to 
take  a drink  of  the  clear,  nice-looking 
water.  Just  at  that  instant  a jet  of  sprav 
was  thrown  out  and  over  the  astonished 
Dutchman.  Springing  to  his  feet,  he 
dashed  away  to  the  train,  shouting  at  the 
top  of  his  voice,  “Drive  on!  drive  on! 
li— 1 is  not  five  miles  from  this  place!” 
Duess  the  innocent  fellow  flrmly  believed 
what  he  uttered.  ^ 

• traveler  will  find  the  springs  sufii- 

ciently  interesting  to  repay  him  for  the 
trouble  of  pausing  here  awhile  and  takinv 
a look  around.  At  the  station  will  be 
lound  a comfortable  hotel,  ample  bath  ac- 
^o^Mouations,  and  about  a half-dozen  resi- 

Leaving  the  springs,  our  course  is  south, 
up  a narrow  valley,  in  which  is  some  good 
farming  land,  with  high  bluffs  on  each  ' 
side ; cross  and  re-cross  Steamboat  Creek  ’ 
curve  to  the  right  through  a narrow  canyon  ] 

' where  there  are  many  evidences  of  placer 
[ niining ; twst  and  climb,  between  high  pro- 
. jecting  cliffs,  and  suddenly  emerge  info  a 

1 great  valley,  and  stop  at  ® 

Washoe  CiTY-Ah!  here  is  a child  of 
• It®  palmy  days  Washoe  was 

as  lively  a city,  or  camp,  as  could  be  found 
in  the  whole  mining  region.  Where  thou- 
sands  of  people  once  toiled,  there  are  now 
, only  a few  dozen,  and  most  of  those  are 
Mgapd  m other  pursuits  than  mining. 
On  the  right  IS  another  flume  for  floating 
wood  from  the  mountains  on  the  wesb 
ward. 

The  valley  near  this  place  is  from  half  to 
a mile  in  width,  surrounded  by  high  moun- 
tains,  the  highest  peak  of  which  is  Mt.  Rose 
at  the  south  end  of  the  valley,  over  8,000  feet 
in  height.  The  mountains  on  the  east  are 
bare,  with  some  sage  and  bunch-grass, 
while  those  on  the  west  are  covered,  the 
greater  part,  with  pine  and  spruce  timber 

on  the  left,* 

the  Old  OphirMill,  a stone  building— now 
in  rums— which  once  gave  employment  to 
about  150  men,  besides  a $30,000  a year 
superintendent.  ^ 

Franktovtn- is4.7  miles  from  Washoe  a 
growing  station  in  the  midst  of  Washoe 
valley ; population  about  150.  A “V”  flume 
comes  down  on  the  right.  There  are  some 
good  farming  lands  along  here,  but  the 
greater  portion  is  only  adapted  for  grazins* 
purposes.  ® 

Washoe  Lake,  on  the  left,  is  about  four 
miles  long  and  one  mile  wide.  On  the 
east  side  of  the  lake  is  Bower’s  Hotel  a 
great  resort  in  the  summer  for  pic-nic  par- 
ses from  the  cities  to  the  southward.  From 
Franktown  it  is  2.6  miles  to 

Mill  Station— near  the  site  of  an  old 
mill,  where  another  “V ” flume  comes  down 
from  the  mountains  on  the  right,  making 
six  since  leaving  Reno. 

Proceeding  south,  the  valley  narrows 
and  IS  soon  crowded  out  completely,  and 
we  rise  up  onto  the  southern  rim ; and 
then,  a look  back  will  take  in  the  whole 
valley  and  lake  from  end  to  end,  and  a 
beautiful  view  it  is.  At  this  nan'ow  gorge 
the  railroad  track  crosses  the  great 

Water  Syphon,  through  which  the 
water  is  conducted  from  the  Sierra  Nevada 
Mountains,  on  the  west,  across  this  narrow 
for, supplying  Virginia  City,  Gold 

Hill  and  Silver  City.  It  is  an  achievement 
which  finds  no  parallel  in  tlie  history  of 
[lydraulic  engineering.  The  total  length 

AND  PACIFIC  COAST  GUIDE, 


173 


of  the  pipe  used  is  but  little  less  than 
miles. 

At  the  point  where  the  water  is  taken 
from  Dali’s  Creek,  up  in  the  Sierras,  it  is 
brought  in  an  18-inch  flume,  four  miles 
long,  to  the  point  of  a spur  on  the  west  side 
of  Washoe  Valley,  the  height  of  which  is 
2,100  feet  above  the  railroad  track.  At  the 
point  where  the  water  in  the  flume  reaches 
the  spur  it  is  received  in  an  iron  pipe, 
which,  after  running  along  the  crest,  de- 
scending, crossing  and  ascending  twelve 
steep  canyons  on  its  route.  Anally  descends 
into  this  gorge,  crosses  it  from  the  west, 
and  ascends  the  cliff  on  the  east  side  to  a 
height  of  1,540  feet,  where  it  is  taken  by 
another  flume  and  conducted  to  a reservoir 
on  the  Divide  between  Virginia  City  and 
Gold  Hill.  The  pipe  has  an  orifice  twelve 
inches  in  diameter,  and  where  the  pressure 
is  the  greatest,  is  five-sixteenths  of  an  inch 
in  thickness,  riveted  with  five-eighth  inch 
rivets  in  double  rows.  Where  the  pres- 


sure lessens,  the  thickness  of  the  material 
gradually  decreases. 

The  amount  of  rolled  iron  used  in  con- 
structing the  pipe  was  1,150,000  lbs.  One 
million  rivets  and  52,000  lbs.  of  lead  were 
used  on  the  pipe.  Before  being  used,  each 
length  of  pipe — 26  feet  long,  each — was 
heated  to  a temperature  of  380  degrees,  and 
submerged  in  a bath  of  asphaltum  and' 
coal  tar,  to  prevent  corroding.  At  the  bot- 
tom of  each  depression  there  is  a blow-off 
cock,  for  removing  any  sediment  that 
might  accumulate,  and  at  each  elevation  is 
an  air-cock  to  let  out  the  air  when  the 
water  is  first  introduced  into  the  pipes. 
Where  the  water  pipe  runs  under  the  rail- 
road track,  it  is  surrounded  with  a massive 
iron  sleeve,  tTvelve  feet  long,  to  protect  it 
from  the  jar  of  passing  trains.  This  pipe 
is  capable  of  furnishing  2,000,000  gallons 
of  water  a day.  The  'whole  cost  of  con- 
struction was  $750,000.  A movement  is  now 
on  foot  to  lay  another  and  much  larger 


THE  WAY  WE  ONCE  WENT  TO  VIRGINIA  CITY. 


pipe  near  tlie  i)resent  one. 

From  Mill  station  it  is  2.5  miles  to 

Lake  Vieav — situated  just  south  of 
the  southern  rim  of  the  Washoe  Valley,  in 
the  gorge  above  alluded  to.  Soon  after 
leaving  the  station,  we  pass  into  a tunnel, 
through  a projecting  cliff,  which  shoots 
out  from  the  right,  and  comes  out  on  the 
side  of  the  mountain  overlooking  the 
beautiful  Fagle  or  Carson  Valley.  Away 
in  the  distance,  four  miles  away,  can  be 
seen  Carson  City,  a little  further,  Carson 
River,  and  be3^ond  both,  the  mountains, 
just  beyond  which  is  Walker’s  River,  and 
then  Walker’s  Lake. 

Winding  and  descending  around  the 
side  of  the  mountain,  through  numerous 
rocky  cuts,  a distance  of  4.6  miles  from 
Lake  View,  we  arrive  at 

Carson  City— the  capital  of  the  State 
of  Nevada.  It  is  situated  in  Eagle  Valley, 
on  the  Carson  River,  at  the  foot  of  the 
eastern  base  of  the  Sierras,  and  contains 
about  4,000  population ; is  81.1  miles  south 
from  Reno,  and  21.1  miles  southwest 
from  Virginia  City.  It  is  the  oldest  town 
in^  the  State,  and  has  a good  many  fine 
private  and  public  buildings.  The  town  is 
tastefully  decorated  with  shade  trees,  and  has 
an  abundance  of  good  water.  The  United 
States  Branch  Mint  of  Nevada  is  located 
here.  The  capital  is  located  in  the  center 
of  a Plaza,  and  is  surrounded  by  an  iron 
fence.  It  is  two  story  and  basement,  made 
of  cut  stone. 

Carson  is  a busy  city,  has  some  good 
blocks  of  buildings,  several  good  hotels, 
chief  of  which  is  the  Ormsby;  four 
churches,  five  schools,  two  daily  newspa- 
Corning  Appeal  2iri6.  t\ie  Nevada 
Tribune.  Here  are  located  the  machine 
shops  of  the  Railroad  Company,  and  several 
manufactories.  Carson  City  is  in  the  center 
of  the  best  farming  land  on  Carson  River 
and  the  best  in  this  part  of  the  State,  and  is 
the  distributing  point  for  a vast  amount  of 
freight,  destined  for  the  southern  mines. 

To  the  south  of  the  city,  comes  down  the 
mrge  “V”  flume  from  t le  Sierras,  via. 
Clear  Creek  Canyon,  ( wned  by  the 
Railroad  Company  through  which  thou- 
sands of  cords  of  wood  and  millions 
of  feet  of  lumber  are  landed  at  Carson 
weekly.^  Four  and  six  horse  coaches 
leave  Carson  daily,  carrying  passengers, 
mails  and  express.  From  Carson  to 
Monitor,  the  distance  is  46  miles,  and  to 
Silver  Mouutain,  in  Alpine  county.  Cal., 
54  miles;  to  Bishop’s  Creek,  192  miles; 


Benton,  150  miles  in  Mono  county.  Cal 
Sweetwater,  73  miles,  Aurora,  105  miles’ 
Bodie,  119  miles,  Mariette,  145  miles,  Bell- 
ville,  155  miles,  Candelaria,  165  miles, 
Columbus,  173  miles  and  Silver  Peak,  228 
miles  in  Esmeralda  county,  Nevada,— To 
Independence,  is  234  miles ; Lone  Pine,  252 
miles,  and  Cerro  Gordo,  274  miles,  in  Inyo 
county.  Cal.  The  fare  to  these  places 
averages  about  15  cents  per  mile.  A stage 
also  runs  to  Genoa  and  Markleville,  and  in 
the  summer  to  Lake  Tahoe,  at  Glenbrook, 
15  miles.  This  line  connects  at  Tahoe  City, 
with  stages  for  Truckee,  the  Summit,  and 
also  with  the  new  line  over  the  mountains 
to  the  Calavaras  Grove.  Leaving  Carson, 
our  course  is  to  the  northeast,  across  a 
broad  bottom.  To  the  right,  about  two 
miles  distant,  beside  a round  butte,  is  a 
large  building — a huge  boarding-house — 
conducted  by  the  State.  The  guests  are 
numerous,  and  are  not  inmates  of  their  own 
free  will,  but  by  due  course  of  law,  and 
when  the  law  is  satisfied,  it  is  hoped  they 
will  leave  this  States  Prison  and  become 
better  citizens. 

Near  the  prison  are  the  Carson  Warm 
Springs,  where  are  ample  accommodations 
for  bathing. 

Lookout — is  the  first  station  from  Car- 
son,  1.1  miles  distant,  but  our  cars  lookout 
not  to  stop,  and  1.3  miles  further,  brings 

Empire — This  is  a town  of  about  1,000 
population,  situated  on  the  north  bank  of 
Carson  River.  Here  are  located  the  big 
Spanish  or  Mexican  mill,  on  the  right,  then 
the  Morgan  or  Yellow  Jacket  mill,  and 
then  the  Empire.  Passing  on,  down  the 
bank  of  the  Carson,  we  curve  around  the 
point  of  a bluff,  pass  the  Brunswick  mill  on 
the  left,  near  the  station  of  the  same  name, 
1.3  miles  from  Empire.  Soon  the  valley  is 
crowded  out,  and  we  enter  a canyon,  with 
the  river  to  our  right,  just  below,  as  we  are 
now  climbing  up  a heavy  grade.  To  our 
right,  but  far  below,  is  the  Vivian,  and  the 
Merrimac  mills,  nearly  one  mile  from  the 
Brunswick.  Continuing  on  up,  still  up- 
ward, we  come  to  the  Santiago  mill,  1.8 
miles  further.  This  mill  is  situated  about 
500  feet  below  the  road,  on  the  right,  and 
almost  under  it.  Shutes  run  from  the  track 
above  to  the  mill  below,  for  dumping  ore 
or  coal.  The  road  is  now  far  up  on  the  side 
of  the  mountain,  much  of  the  way  blasted 
out  from  the  solid  rock,  and  very  crooked. 
The  canyon  on  the  Carson  River  is  for 
below,  on  the  right,  and  soon  will  be  lost 
to  view. 


AND  PACIFIC  COAST  GUIDE. 


175 


Eureka — is  half  a mile  from  Santiago, 
with  a narrow-gauge  track  on  our  right, 
away  down  the  river.  Near  the  track  on 
the  right,  is  the  dump-shute  of  the  Eureka 
mill.  Ascending  rapidly  and  tortuously 
for  two  miles,  we  come  to 

Mound  House — Here  all  supplies  for 
Dayton  and  Sutroville,  are  re-shipped  on 
wagons;  distance  to  Dayton,  four  miles, 
to  Sutroville,  five  miles.  Stages  run  daily. 
A large  amount  of  freight  is  shipped  from 
this  point  for  Columbus,  and  the  Monte 
Christo  country.  Since  the  completion  of 
the  steam-tug  on  Walker  Lake,  teams  that 
pass  over  Holmes’  toll-road  are  conveyed  a 
distance  of  35  miles,  saving  45  miles  of 
teaming  around  the  north  end  of  the  lake, 
through  deep  sand.  This  tug  is  60  feet 
long,  'with  a breadth  of  18  feet,  and  takes 
on  a four  or  six  horse  team,  but  not  a 
“prairie  schooner”  of  twelve  or  sixteen 
animals.  However,  a larger  boat  is  being 
constructed  to  accommodate  this  trade. 

SuTRO  Tunnel — This  tunnel  is  one  of 
the  most  important  enterprises  ever  inau- 
gurated in  mining  operations  in  this  or  any 
other  country.  The  object  sought  is  ven- 
tilation, drainage,  and  a cheap  means  of 
working  the  mines,  or  bringing  the  ores  to 
the  surface.  The  tunnel  commences  in 
the  valley  of  the  Carson  River ; is  14  feet 
wide  at  the  bottom,  13  feet  at  the  top,  and 
12  feet  high. 

The  main  tunnel  will  be  19,790  feet  in 
length,  and  the  cross  tunnels  about  12,000 
feet  more.  The  tunnel  will  strike  the  Com- 
stock ledge  at  a depth  of  1,8983^  feet  below 
the  point  of  the  croppings.  The  estimated 
cost,  when  completed,  $4,418,329.50.  The 
work  is  being  pushed  ahead  vigorously, 
and  18,762  feet  had  been  completed  at  the 
commencement  of  the  year  1878,  and  should 
no  unforeseen  drawbacks  take  place,  the 
tunnel  will  be  completed  and  in  operation 
within  the  present  year. 

Near  Mound  House  is  a gypsum  mine 
of  good  quality,  large  amounts  of  which 
are  shipped  to  San  Francisco.  A track 
branches  oft'  near  the  station,  to  the  right, 
for  Silver  City,  situated  about  two  miles  to 
the  eastward,  in  a narrow  canyon,  in  plain 
view,  where  are  located  a number  of  quartz 
mills. 

Silver — is  the  next  station,  3.3  miles 
from  Mound  House.  Here  ore  is  dumped 
down  a shute  to  the  right,  and  taken  to  the 
mills  below  The  best  view  of  Silver  City 
— a place  of  1,000  population,  all  of  whom 
are  engaged  in  mining,  having  one  news- 


paper, the  Beporter—o^^ix  now  be  had  on 
the  right ; curving  around  to  the  left,  we 
come  to  the  American  Flat  tunnel,  900  feet 
long.  It  was  at  this  tunnel  where  a thrill- 
ing incident  occurred,  October  17,  1872. 
(See  Annex  No.  34.)  The  fire  alluded  to 
in  the  annex  cost  the  Railroad  Company 
$500,000.  It  took  two  months  to  replace 
the  timbering,  during  which  time  all 
passengers,  freight,  mails  and  express,  had 
to  be  transferred  by  teams. 

Passiug  through  the  tunnel,  Mt.  David- 
son looms  up  directly  ahead,  7,827  feet 
above  sea-level ; to  the  right  is  Gold  Hill — 
far  away,  in  a narrow  canyon.  The  train 
runs  around  the  side  of  the  mountain,  de- 
scribing a great  curve  to  the  north  and 
eastward,  passing  numerous  mills,  among 
which  are  the  Rock  Island,  down  on  the 
right ; the  Baltimore,  a track  to  the  Over- 
man, the  Knickerbocker,  Belcher,  Baltic, 
and  many  other  mills,  both  on  the  right 
and  left,  and  finally  cross  over  a huge  mill, 
and  one  of  the  principal  streets  of  the  city 
of  Gold  Hill,  which  extends  to  the  left  up 
a narrow  canyon,  and  stops  at  the  depot  in 
the  city  of 

Gold  Hill — This  is  a flourishing  min- 
ing city,  19  miles  from  Carson  and  two 
from  Virginia;  population,  6,000.  It  con- 
sists mostly  of  one  main  street,  built  along 
a steep  ravine.  The  city  has  some  good 
buildings,  among  which  are  one  good 
hotel,  the  Yesey  House ; and  one  daily  news- 
paper, the  Gold  Hill  News.  The  city  is  sur- 
rounded with  mills  of  all  sorts,  sizes  and 
kinds,  and  all  is  noise  and  business  night 
and  day.  The  street  between  Gold  Hill 
and  Virginia  is  so  generally  built  up  that 
one  cannot  tell  where  the  dividing  line  is 
between  them.  An  omnibus  line  plies  be- 
tween the  two  cities,  running  every  fifteen 
minutes. 

Passing  on  from  Gold  Hill  two  miles, 
around  sharp  curves,  through  three  short 
tunnels  in  quick  succession,  with  mills  to 
the  right,  mills  to  the  left,  and  mills  all 
around  us,  we  arrive  at 

Virginia  City — This  city  is  on  the 
southeastern  slope  of  Mt.  Davidson,  at  an 
elevation  of  6,200  feet,  with  the  mountain 
rising  1,627  feet  above  it.  The  city  is  built 
along  the  side  of  the  mountain— one  main 
street,  with  numerous  steep  cross-streets — 
and  contains  some  very  fine  business  blocks. 
Virginia  is  21  miles  from  Carson,  and  52 
miles  by  rail,  from  Reno,  and  contains  a 
population  of  about  16,000,  a great  propor- 
tion of  whom  are  engaged  in  mining  op- 


176 


crofutt’s  new  overland  tourist 


eraiions  immediately  under  the  city,  from 
1,500  to  2,200  feet. 

The  Enterprise  and  the  Chronicle— hoi\\ 
daily  and  weekly  papers— are  published 
here. 

The  religions  and  educational  interests 
are  well  represented  by  churches  and 
schools.  - 

There  are  a number  of  hotels  in  the  city 
at  which  the  traveler  will  find  good  ac- 
commodations. The  International  is 
the  principal  one. 

At  both  Virginia  and  Gold  Hill,  are 
located  great  numbers  of  smelling  furnaces, 
reduction  works  and  stamp  mills,  all  thun- 
dering  away,  night  and  day.  The  fires 
from  these  works,  at  night,  light  up  with  a 
lurid  glare  all  surrounding  objects.  There 
are  no  two  cities  in  the  world  more  cos- 
mopolitan; here,  meet  and  jostle,  the  peo- 
pie  from  every  land  and  clime;  the  rich 
and  the  poor;  the  miser  and  the  spend- 
thrift; the  morose  and  jolly.  here 

predominates.  “ Rich  to-day,  to- 

morrow,” is  the  rule.  All  gamble  in  min- 
ing stocks,  from  the  boot-black  or  servant 
girl  to  the  Rev.  Mr.  Whitetie,  or  the  Bo- 
nanza-Kabob.  The  whole  people  are  alive 
to  each  movement  of  the  “ stock  indica- 
tors,” as  much  as  the  “ Snowballs  ” were 
in  Baltimore  twenty-five  years  ago  on  the 
lottery  and  policy  business;  4-11-44  was 
their  god;  the  tick  of  the  “indicator”  is 
the  god  of  this  people.  The  saying  that 
“ It  is  not  birth,  nor  wealth,  nor  State— its 
git  up  and  git  that  makes  men  great,”  has 
been  thoroughly  demonstrated  by  many  ot 
the  citizens  of  Virginia  City  and  Gold  Hill. 

Early  History— The  first  gold  mines 
were  discovered  in  1857,  by  Joe  Kirby,  and 
^me  others,  who  commenced  mining  in 
Gold  Canyon  (Gold  Hill),  and  continued 
working  the  place  with  indifferent  success 
The  first  quartz  claim  was  lo- 
cked by  J ames  Einney,  better  known  as 
on  the  22d  of  February, 
18o8,  in  the  Virginia  mining  district  and 
on  the  “Virginia  Croppings.”  The  old 
prospector  gave  his  name  to  the  city,  crop- 
pings and  district.  In  June,  1859,  rich  de- 
posits of  silver  ore  were  discovered  by 
Peter  O’Reilly  and  Patrick  McLaughlin, 
on  what  is  now  the  ground  of  the  Ophir 
Mining  Company.  They  were  engaged  in 
gold  washing,  and  uncovered  a rich  vein 
of  sulphuret  of  silver,  when  engaged  in 
excavating  a place  wherein  to  catch  a sup- 
ply of  water  for  their  rockers.  The  dis- 
covery was  made  on  ground  claimed  by 


Kirby  and  others.  A Mr.  Comstock  was 
employed  to  purchase  the  claims  of  Kirby 
and  those  holding  with  him,  hence,  Com- 
stock’s name  was  given  to  the  lode. 

The  Comstock  Lode — is  about  four 
miles  in  length,  the  out-croppings  extend- 
y broad  belt  along  the  mountain 
n It  extends  under  Virginia  City  and 
Gold  Hill ; ^ the  ground  on  which  these 
cities  are  built  being  all  “ honey-combed  ” 
or  undermined;  in  fjfct,  the  whole  moun- 
tain is  a series  of  shafts,  tunnels  and  cav- 
mms  from  which  the  ore  has  been  taken. 
The  vein  is  broken  and  irregular  at  inter- 
vals along  its  length  as  far  as  traced,  owing 
to  the  formation  of  the  mountain.  It  is 
also  very  irregular  in  thickness.  In  some 
places  the  fissure  ranges  from  30  to  as  high 
as  200  feet  in  width,  while  at  other  points 
the  walls  come  close  together.  The  great- 
est variation  in  width  occurs  at  a depth  of 
from  400  to  600  feet  from  the  surface.  The 
principal  silver  ores  of  this  lode  are  steph- 
anite,  vitreous  silver  ore,  native  silver  and 
very  rich  galena.  Pyrargyrite,  or  ruby 
silver,  horn  silver  and  polybasite,  are 
found  in  small  quantities,  together  with 
iron  and  copper  pyrites,  zinc-blende,  car- 
bonate of  lead,  pyromorphite  and  native 
gold. 

The  number  of  mills  in  and  around  Gold 
Hill  and  Virginia,  and  at  other  points, 
which  work  on  ore  from  this  lode,  is  be- 
tween 75  and  80.  They  are  scattered  around 
through  several  counties,  including  Storey 
(where  the  lode  lies),  Lyon,  Washoe  and 
Ormsby,  from  30  to  40  in  number  being  in 
Storey  county.  The  product  of  the  Corn- 
stock  lode  has  been  beyond  that  of  any 
silver  vein  of  which  we  have  any  record ; 
furnishing  the  largest  portion  of  bullion 
produced  on  the  Pacific  Slope. 

From  the  Mining  Directory  of  the 
American  Mining  Agency  of  Chicago,  we 
learn  that  the  gross  yield  of  all  the  mines 
of  the  precious  metals  in  the  State  of 
Nevada,  for  the  six  years  commencing 
with  1871,  have  been  $176,734,150.  The 
yield  of  the  “Bonanza  Mines  ” for  the  first 
nine  months  of  1877,  were . $23,434,000,  of 
which  $17,280,000  were  paid  out  in  divi- 
dends. This  would  make  the  yield  for  the 
year,  at  the  rate  of  $31,247,000.  Big  medi^ 
cine!  eh? 

But  let  us  return  to  Reno  before  we  get 
to  watching  the  “ indicator;  ” and  start 
once  more  for  the  West. 

Leaving  Reno,  our  course  is  south  of 
west,  up  the  Truckee  River.  The  hills  are 


AND  PACIFIC  COAST  GUIDE. 


177 


loftier,  and  were — at  the  time  the  railroad 
was  built — covered  with  dense  pine  for- 
ests ; now,  only  stumps  and  rocks  appear, 
with  very  little  undergrowth.  As  we  enter 
the  Truckee  Canyon,  we  seem  to  have  en- 
tered a cooler,  pleasanter,  and  more  invig- 
orating atmosphere.  The  aroma  of  the 
spruce  and  pine,  which  comes  with  the 
mountain  breeze,  is  pleasant  when  com- 
pared with  that  of  the  alkali  plains.. 

Verdi — is  the  fi|§t  station  from  Ken o, 
10.48  miles.  Passing,  on,  up,  1.2B^  'miles 
brings  us  to  a new  side-track  station  called 

Essex  — which  we  pass;  continuing 
along  the  river,  with  its  foaming  current 
now  on  our  left,  first  on  one  side,  then  on 
the  other,  runs  this  beautiful  stream  until 
we  lose  sight  of  it  altogether.  The  road 
crosses  and  re-crosses  it  on  fine  Howe  truss 
bridges,  running  as  straight  as  the  course 
of  the  mountains  will  permit.  The  moun- 
tains tower  up  on  either  hand,  in  places 
sloping  and  covered  in  places  with  timber 
from  base  to  summit,  in  others  precipitous, 
and  covered  with  masses  of  black,  broken 
rock.  ’Tis  a rough  country,  the  canyon  of 
the  Truckee,  possessing  many  grand  and 
imposing  features. 

On  the  road  up  we  pass  a new  station 
called 

Mystic— 5.11  miles  from  Essex,  and 
four  miles  further 

Bronco  — another  side-track.  Occa- 
sional strips  of  meadow  land  are  seen 
close  to  the  river’s  edge,  but  too  small  and 
rocky  to  be  of  any  use,  only  as  grazing 
land.  Now  we  cross  the  dividing  line,  and 
shout 


as  we  enter  California,  a few  miles  east  of 
Boca — a small  station  5.7  miles  from 
Bronco.  The  lumber  interest  is  well  rep- 
resented here,  huge  piles  of  ties,  boards 
and  timber  lining  the  roadside.  The  river 
seems  to  be  the  means  of  transportation  for 
the  saw  logs,  immense  numbers  of  them 
being  scattered  up  and  down  the  stream, 


with  here  and  there  a party  of  lumbermen 
working  them  down  to  the  mills.  A great 
quantity  of  ice  is  cut  and  housed  here, 
and  an  extensive  beer  brewery  erected. 

The  Truckee  River,  from  Reno  to  its 
mountain  source,  is  a very  rapid  stream, 
and  aftbrds  dam-sites  and  mill-sites  innu- 
merable; yet,  it  is  related  that  some  years 
ago,  before  the  completion  of  the  Pacific 
railroad,  a certain  Indian  agent,  who  is 
now  an  Ex-U.  S.  Senator,  charged  up  to 
the  Government  an  “ item  ” of  $40,000,  as 
being  the  purchase-money  for  a mill-site 
on  the  Truckee,  near  a dam  site. 

Some  hungry  aspirant  for  official  posi- 
tion, who  had  a hankering  after  the  “loaves 
and  fishes,”  exposed  the  “item,”  and  a 
committee  was  sent  out  from  Washington 
to  investigate  the  matter.  This  committee, 
went  out  by  “ Overland  Stage,”  had  a good 
time,  traversed  the  country  in  every  direc- 
tion, explored  the  river  thoroughly,  from 
the  Desert  to  Lake  Tahoe,  and  reported 
that  they  could  find  numberless  dam-sites 
by  mill-sites,  but  could  not  find  a mill  by 
a dam-site. 

From  Boca  it  is  1.57  miles  to 

Prosser  Creek— Here  is  a long  “Y” 
flume  for  the  accommodation  of  the  lum- 
bermen, and  where  large  quantities  of  ice 
is  cut  and  stored  for  market.  Another  run 
of  4.1  miles  and  the  train  passes 

Proctors — and  2.76  miles  more  and 
our  train  comes  to  the  end  of  the  Truckee 
division,  at  Truckee  City. 

Truckee  City — This  place  is  situ- 
ated on  the  north  bank  of  the  Truckee 
River,  in  the  midst  of  what  was  once  a 
heavily  timbered  region,  much  of  which 
has  been  cut  otf.  The  principal  business 
of  the  place  is  lumbering,  though  an  ex- 
tensive freighting  business  is  carried  on 
with  other  points  in  the  mountains.  One 
can  hardly  get  around  the  town  for  the 
piles  of  lumber,  ties  and  wood,  which 
cover  the  ground  in  every  direction.  Some 
fine  stores  and  a good  hotel  are  the  only 
buildings  which  can  lay  claim  to  size  and 
finish  corresponding  with  the  growth  and 
business  of  the  place.  The  town  is  com- 
posed of  wooden  buildings,  mostly  on  the 
north  side  of  the  railroad. 

The  very  sharp  roofs  of  the  buildings 
point  out  the  fact  that  the  snow  falls  deep 
and  moist  here,  sufficiently  so  to  crush  in 
the  roofs — unless  they  are  very  sharp  and 
strong.  The  town  contains  about  2,000  in- 
habitants, nearly  all  of  whom  are  directly 


178 


CROFUTT  S NEW  OVERLAND  TOURIST 


SACEAMENTO  DIVISION. 

SACRAMENTO  TO  TRUCKEE. 


F.  A.  Fillmore,  Division  Superintendent. 


WEST  FROM  OMAHA. 


SACRAMENTO  TIME. 


EAST  FROM  SAN  FRANCISCO. 


Daily 
Emigrant 
and  Ireight. 

Daily 
Express, 
1st  & 2d  Cl’s 

Distance 

from 

Omaha. 

8:15  m 

3:05  am 

...1655.. 

9:05 

4:35 

.. .1662.. 

9 :55 

4:00 

...1671.. 

10:34 

4:22 

. ..1675.. 

10  :55 

4:34 

...1679.. 

11:15 

4:45 

...1683... 

12 :00  m 

5:13 

...1691.. 

12:25  am 

5:30 

...1697.. 

12:50 

5:53 

...1702.. 

1:10 

6:10 

....1706.. 

1 :33 

6:17 

...1708.. 

1 :47 

6:25 

...1710.. 

2:23 

6:44 

...1617.. 

2:55 

7:00* 

...1721.. 

3:30 

7:37 

...1725.. 

3:55 

7:48 

...1728.. 

4:55 

8:00 

...1732.. 

5:00 

8:25 

...1739.. 

5:30 

8:43 

. ..1744.. 

6:10 

9:04 

...1750.. 

6:30 

9:15 

...1752.. 

7:25 

9:32 

...1757.. 

7:45 

9:43 

.. .1760.. 

8:20 

10:00 

...1767.. 

8:42 

10:12 

...1771.. 

9 :00  am 

10:25  a m 

...1775.. 

STATIONS. 


Daily 

Elevation 


Lv tTKUCTiEE Ar 

Strong’s  Canyon 

^Summit 

Cascade 

Tamarack 

$Cisco. 

$E  migrant  Gap 

^Blue  Canyon 

Sandy  Run . 

tAlta 

Dutch  Flat 

tGold  Run 

C.  H.  Mills , 

tColfax 

N.  E.  Mills 

Applegate 

Clipper  Gap 

tAuburn 

fNew  Castle 

Pino 

JRocklin 

-f Junction.  

Antelope 

Arcade 

. A.  M.  Bridge 

Ar....  j:SACRAMENTO  • ....Lv 


5845. 
.6780.. 
.7017.. 
.6519.. 
.6191.. 
.5939.. 
.5229.. 
.4677.. 
.4154.. 
.3612.. 
.3403.. 
.3206.. 
.2691.. 
.2421.. 
.2280.. 
.2000.. 
.1759.. 
.1362.. 
. 969.. 
. 403., 
,.  248., 
, . 163. 
,.  154. 

. . 55 . , 
,.  52. 
..  30. 


12:00 
11 :3f) 
11:05 
10:34 
10:10 
9:55 
9 :18 
8:50 
8:25 
8:00 
7:50 
7:40 
7:12 
6:30* 
6:07 
5:51 
5:35 
5:10 
4:50 
4:27 
4:00 
3:46 
3:35 
3:20 
3:09 
3:00 


p m 


Daily 
Emigrant 
and  Ireight. 


12:30 

11:50 

11:05 

10:30 

10:07 

9:45 

8:35 

7:40 

6:50 

6:10 

5:40 

5:20 

4:40 

4:05 

3:15 

2:45 

2:25 

1:S5 

1:00 

12:15 

11:20 

10:57 

10:38 

10:05 

9:42 

9:25 


p m 


tDay  Telegraph.  $ Day  and  Night  Telegraph.  * Meals. 

The  passenger’s  attention  is  directed  to  the  elevation  of  each  station. 


or  indirectly  connected  with  the  lumber 
trade. 

The  Republican.,  a weekly  paper,  repre- 
sents the  interests  of  the  Truckeeites. 

The  educational  interests  have  been  pro- 
vided for,  Nevada  county,  in  which  Truckee 
City  is  situated,  being  justly  celebrated  for 
her  public  schools. 

There  are  three  hotels  in  Truckee,  the 
principal  one  being  the  Truckee  House. 
At  certain  seasons  of  the  year  the  cars  stop 
before  this  house  thirty  minutes,  affording 
time  for  the  traveler  to  obtain  a good  meal. 
The  Truckee  House  is  the  headquarters 
of  the  tourists  who  stop  over  to  visit  ob- 
jects of  interest  in  this  locality.  This  sta- 
tion is  the  end  of  the  Truckee,  and  the 
commencement  of  the  Sacramento  divis- 
ions. 

The  company  have  a 24-stall  round- 


house and  the  usual  machine  and  repair 
shops  of  a division  located  here. 

A line  of  stages  leaves  Truckee,  daily, 
for  Donner  Lake,  two  miles ; Lake  Tohoe, 
twelve  miles;  Sierraville,  30  miles.  A 
good  wagon-road  connects  Sierra  City  with 
Truckee  via  the  Henness  Pass  and  Donner 
Lake. 

Freight  is  re-shipped  here  for  Donner 
and  Tahoe  Lakes,  Sierraville,  and  the  va- 
rious towns  in  Sierra  Valley.  There  are 
some  wholesale  and  retail  houses  in 
Truckee,  which  do  a large  business. 

Lake  Tahoe,  or  Bigler,  as  it  is  called  on 
some  of  the  official  maps,  is  located  twelve 
miles  south  of  Truckee.  Tahoe  is  an  In- 
dian name  signifying  “big  water,”  and  is 
pronounced  by  the  Indians,  “Tah-oo,” 
while  the  “pale  faces  ” pronounce  it  “Ta- 
hoe.” From  Truckee  a splendid  road  af- 


AND  PACIFIC  COAST  GUIDE, 


179 


FIRST  WELLS,  FARGO  & CO.’s  EXPRESS  OVER  THE  MOUNTAINS. 


fords  one  of  the  best  and  most  pleasant 
drives  to  be  found  in  the  State.  The  road 
follows  the  river  bank,  under  the  shade  of 
waving  pines,  or  across  green  meadows 
until  it  reaches  Tahoe  Citv,  at  the  foot  of 
the  lake.  Here  are  excellent  accommoda- 
tions for  travelers— a good  hotel,  boats,  and 
a well-stocked  stable. 

According  to  the  survey  of  the  State  line. 
Lake  Tahoe  lies  in  two  States  and  five 
counties.  The  line  between  California  and 
Nevada  runs  north  and  south  through  the 
lake,  until  it  reaches  a certain  point  therein, 
when  it  changes  to  a course  17  degs.  east 
of  south.  Thus  the  counties  of  El  Dorado 
and  Placer,  in  California,  and  Washoe, 
Ormsby  and  Douglas,  in  Nevada,  all  share 
m the  waters  of  the  Tahoe.  Where  the 
line  was  surveyed  through  the  lake  it  is 
1,700  feet  deep. 


There  are  three  steamboats  on  the  lake’ 
but  only  one,  the  “ Stanford,”  takes  ex- 
cursionists. The  trip  on  this  steamer  is 
very  fine,  but  for  oxxv  personal  use,  not  the 
way  we  like  to  travel  for  sight-seeing,  at 
this,  the  loveliest  of  all  drives  in  the  world. 
Our  choice  is  a good  saddle  animal,  or  a 
good  team  of  horses,  an  agreeable  com- 
panion, and  start  around  the  western  shore. 
Six  miles  from  Tahoe,  over  a beautiful 
road,  we  reach  Sugar  Pine  Point,  a spur  of 
mountains  covered  with  a splendid  forest 
of  sugar  pine,  the  most  valuable  lumber, 
for  all  uses,  found  on  the  Pacific  coast. 
Tliere  are  fine  streams  running  into  the 
lake  on  each  side  of  the  point.  We  now 
arrive  at  Emerald  Bay,  a beautiful,  placid 
inlet,  two  miles  long,  which  seems  to  hide 
itself  among  the  pine-clad  hills.  It  is  not 
over  400  yards  wide  at  its  mouth,  but 


180  crofutt’s  new  overland  tourist 


widens  to  two  miles  inland,  forming  one 
of  the  prettiest  land-locked  harbors  in  the 
world.  It  is  owned  by  Ben  Holiday.  At 
the  south  end  of  Tahoe,  near  the  site  of  the 
Old  Lake  House,  near  Tallac  Point,  Lake 
Valley  Creek  enters  the  lake,  having  wound 
among  the  hills  for  many  miles  since  it 
left  the  springs  and  snows  which  feed  it. 
The  valley  of  Lake  Creek  is  one  of  the 
loveliest  to  be  found  among  the  Sierras. 
The  whole  distance,  from  the  mountain 
slope  to  the  lake,  is  one  continual  series  of 
verdant  meadows,  dotted  with  milk 
ranches,  where  the  choicest  butter  and 
cheese  are  manufactured.  The  next  ob- 
ject of  interest  met  witli  is  a relic  of  the 
palmy  days  of  staging: 

Friday  Station,  an  old  stage  station, 
established  by  Burke  in  1859,  on  the  Placer- 
ville  and  Tahoe  stage  road.  Ten  miles 
further  on  we  come  to  the  G lenbrook  House 
a favorite  resort  for  tourists.  From  Glen- 
brook House  there  is  a fine  road  to  Carson 
City,  between  which  ply  regular  stages. 
This  is  a lovely  place,  and  a business  place 
too,  as  a half-dozen  saw  mills  are  located 
here,  which  turn  out  a million  and  a half 
feet  of  lumber  weekly. 

Four  miles  further  we  come  to 

The  Cave,  a cavern  in  the  hillside  fully 
100  feet  above  and  overhanging  the  lake. 

Following  around  to  the  north  end  of  the 
lake,  and  but  a short  distance  away,  are  the 
celebrated  Hot  Springs,  lying  just  across 
the  State  line,  in  Nevada.  Near  them  is  a 
splendid  spring  of  clear,  cold  water,  totally 
devoid  of  miMeral  taste.  The  next  object 
which  attracts  our  attention  is  Cornelian 
Bay,  a beautiful  indenture  in  the  coast, 
with  fine  gravel  bottom.  Thus  far  there 
has  been  scarcely  a point  from  which  the 
descent  to  the  water’s  edge  is  not  smooth 
and  easy. 

Passing  on  around  to  the  west  side  we  re- 
turn to  Tahoe  City.  Around  the  lake  the 
land  is  generally  level  for  some  distance 
back,  and  covered  with  pine,  fir  and  bal- 
sam timber,  embracing  at  least  300  sections 
of  as  fine  timbered  land  as  the  State 
affords.  It  is  easy  of  access  and  handy  to 
market,  the  logs  being  rafted  down  the 
lake  to  the  Truckee,  and  thence  down  to 
any  point  on  the  railroad  above  Reno.  So 
much  for  the  general  appearance  of  Lake 
Tahoe.  To  understand  its  beauties,  one 
must  go  there  and  spend  a short  time. 
When  once  there,  sailing  on  the  beautiful 
lake,  gazing  far  down  its  shining,  pebbly 
bottom,  hooking  the  sparkling  trout  that 


make  the  pole  sway  and  bend  in  the  hand 
like  a willow  wand,  few  will  have  a desire 
to  hurry  away.  If  one  tires  of  the  line  and 
of  strolling  along  the  beach,  or  sailing  over 
the  lake,  a tramp  into  the  hills  with  a gun 
will  be  rewarded  by  the  sight  of  quail, 
grouse,  deer  and  possibly  a bear. 

We  have  now  circled  the  lake  and  can 
judge  of  its  dimensions,  which  are  22 
miles  in  length  and  ten  in  width. 

[While  on  a recent  visit  to  San  Fran- 
cisco, we  learned,  on  good  authority,  that 
a movement  was  on  foot,  urged  by  several 
capitalists  in  that  city,  to  build  a large 
hotel  at  Tallac  Point  during  the  year, from 
which  a stage  line  will  convey  passengers 
over  the  High  Sierras,  via  Hope  Valley 
and  Blue  Lake,  to  the  Calavera  Big 
Trees ; distance  65  miles ; fare,  about  $20.] 
This  would  certainly  be  a lovely  trip, 
passing  as  it  does,  through  the  grandest 
of  the  High  Sierra  range,  and  to  the  noted 
Blue  Lake,  so  long  talked  about  as  the 
great  reservoir  from  which  the  City  of  San 
Francisco  is  to  be  supplied  with  water  in 
the  future.  For  scenery,  variety  of  game, 
trout,  etc.,  this  route  will  be  found  very 
attractive. 

We  will  now  return  to  Truckee. 

Donner  Lake — a lovely  little  lakelet, 
the  “Gem  of  the  Sierras,”  lies  two  and  a 
half  miles  northwest  of  Truckee.  It  is 
about  three  and  a half  miles  long,  with  an 
average  width  of  one  mile,  and  at  the  deep- 
est point  sounded,  is  about  200  feet.  This 
and  Lake  Tahoe  are,  by  some,  thought  to 
be  the  craters  of  old  volcanoes,  the  moun- 
tains around  them  presenting  unmistak- 
able evidences  of  volcanic  formation.  The 
waters  of  both  lakes  are  cold  and  clear  as 
crystal,  the  bottom  showing  every  pebble 
with  great  distinctness  under  water  50  feet 
deep.  It  is  surrounded  on  three  sides  by 
towering  mountains,  covered  with  a heavy 
growth  of  fir,  spruce  and  pine  trees  of  im- 
mense size.  Were  it  not  for  the  occasional 
rattling  of  the  cars,  away  up  the  mountain 
side,  as  they  toil  upward  to  the  “ Summit,” 
and  the  few  cabins  scattered  here  and  there 
along  the  shore,  one  would  fancy  that  he 
was  in  one  of  nature’s  secret  retreats,  where 
man  had  never  ventured  before.  A small 
stream,  which  tumbles  down  the  mountain 
side,  winds  its  way  through  the  dense 
wood,  and  empties  its  ice-cold  flood  in  the 
upper  end  or  head  of  the  lake,  which  rests 
against  the  foot  of  “Summit”  Mountain. 
From  the  Lake  House,  situated  as  it  is  on 
a low,  gravelly  flat,  shaded  by  giant  pines, 


AND  PACIFIC  COAST  GUIDE.  181 

a very  fine  view  of  the  railroad  can  be  ob- 
tained. Within  sight  are  four  tunnels  and 
several  miles  of  snow-sheds,  while  behind 
and  seemingly  overhanging  the  road,  the 
mountains  — bald,  bleak,  bare,  massive 
piles  of  granite — tower  far  above  their 
precipitous  sides,  seeming  to  bid  defiance 
to  the  ravages  of  time.  A fine  road  has 
been  graded  along  the  right-hand  shore, 
from  the  station,  forming  a splendid  drive. 
The  “ old  emigrant  road  ” skirts  the  foot  of 
the  lake  (where  the  Donner  party  per- 
ished, see  Annex  No.  33),  and  following  up 
the  stage  road,  climbs  the  “ Summit  ” just 
beyond  the  long  tunnel.  Originally,  it 
struck  the  Divide  at  Summit  Valley;  from 
thence  it  followed  the  valley  down  for 
several  miles,  then  struck  across  the  crest- 
spur,  and  followed  the  Divide  down  from 
Emigrant  Gap. 

The  business  of  lumbering  is  carried  on 
quite  extensively  at  the  lower  end  of  the 
lake.  The  logs  are  slid  down  the  moun- 
tain sides  in  “shoots,”  or  troughs  made 
of  large  trees,  into  the  lake,  and  then  rafted 
down  to  the  mill.  On  the  west  side  of  the 
lake  the  timber  has  not  been  disturbed,  but 
sweeps  down  from  the  railroad  to  the 
water’s  edge  in  one  dense  unbroken  forest. 
The  lower  end  of  the  lake  is  bordered  with 
green  meadows,  covering  an  extent  of 
several  hundred  acres  of  fine  grazing  land. 

From  the  foot  of  the  lake  issues  a 
beautiful  creek,  which,  after  uniting  with 
Coldstream,  forms  the  Little  Truckee 
River. 

Coldstream — is  a clear,  cold  mountain 
stream,  about  fifteen  miles  long.  It  rises 
in  the  “Summit”  Mountain,  opposite 
Summit  Valley.  Some  excellent  grazing 
land  borders  the  creek  after  it  leaves  the 
mountain  gorge. 

Fishing  and  Hunting — In  Donner  and 
Tahoe  lakes  is  found  the  silver  trout, 
which  attains  the  weight  of  20  pounds. 
There  are  many  varieties  of  fish  in  these 
lakes,but  this  is  most  jirized  and  most  sought 
after  by  the  angler.  It  is  rare  sport  to 
bring  to  the  water’s  edge  one  of  these 
sleek-hided,  sharp-biting  fellows — to  handle 
him  delicately  and  daintily  until  he  is  safely 
landed;  and  then,  when  fried,  baked,  or 
broiled  brown,  the  employment  of  the  jaws 
to  masticate  the  crisp,  juicy  morsels — it’s 
not  bad  jawing.  The  water  near  the  lake 
shore  is  fairly  alive  with  white  fish,  dace, 
rock-fish,  and  several  other  varieties — the 
trout  keeping  in  deeper  water.  There  is 
no  more  favorite  resort  for  the  angler  and 

hunter  than  these  lakes  and  the  surround- 
ing mountains,  where  quail,  grouse,  deer, 
and  bear  abound. 

These  lakes  were  once  a favorite  resort 
for  the  “San  Francisco  schoolmarms,” 
who  annually  visit  this  locality  during  the 
summer  vacation.  The  Railroad  Company 
generally  passed  them  over  the  route,  and 
they  had  a happy  week — romping,  scram- 
bling and  wandering  over  the  mountains, 
and  along  the  lake  shore,  giving  new  life 
and  animation  to  the  scene.  The  gray  old 
hills  and  mighty  forests  re-echo  with  their 
merry  laughter,  as  they  stroll  around  the 
lake,  gathering  flowers  and  mosses,  or,  per- 
haps, essaying  their  skill  as  anglers,  to 
the  great  slaughter  of  the  finny  inhabitants 
of  the  lake. 

Sierra  Valley — lies  about  30  miles 
from  Truckee  City,  among  the  Sierras,  It 
is  about  40  miles  long,  with  a width  of 
from  five  to  seven  miles.  It  is  fertile, 
thickly  settled,  and  taken  in  connection 
with  some  other  mountain  valleys,  might 
be  termed  the  Orange  county  of  California 
— from  the  quantity  and  quality  of  butter 
and  cheese  manufactured  there.  In  the 
mountain  valleys  and  on  the  table-lands 
the  best  butter*  and  cheese  found  in  the 
State  are  manufactured— the  low  valleys 
being  too  warm,  and  the  grasses  and  water 
not  so  good  as  found  here.  In  Sierra,  and 
many  other  mountain  valleys,  good  crops 
of  grain  and  vegetables  are  grown  in 
favorable  seasons,  but  the  surest  and  most 
profitable  business  is  dairying.  The 
flourishing  town  of  Royalton  is  situated  in 
this  valley. 

Honey  Lake — an  almost  circular  sheet 
of  water,  about  ten  miles  in  diameter,  lies 
about  50  miles  north  of  Truckee  City. 
Willow  Creek  and  Susan  Creek  enter  it  at 
the  north,  while  Lone  Valley  Creek 
empties  its  waters  into  the  southern  jior- 
tion  of  the  lake.  Some  fine  meadow  and 
grazing  land  is  found  in  the  valleys 
bordering  these  streams,  which  has  been 
occupied  by  settlers,  and  converted  into 
flourishing  farms. 

Susanviile,  the  principal  town  in  the 
valley,  is  situated  north  of  the  lake.  It  is 
connected  by  stage  with  Reno,  Nevada, 
and  Oroville,  California. 

We  now  take  leave  of  Truckee  City  and 
its  surroundings,  and  prepare  to  cross  the 
“Summit  of  the  Sierras,”  14  miles  dis- 
tant. With  two  locomotives  leading,  we 
cross  the  North  Fork  or  Little  Truekee  on 
a single-span  Howe  truss  bridge,  and  make 

ckofutt’b  new  overland  tourist 


182 


directly  across  tlie  broken  land  bordering 
the  lake  meadows,  for  the  foot  of  the 
Sierras.  Then  skirting  along  the  hill-side, 
through  long  snow  sheds,  with  the  spark- 
ling Coldstream  on  our  right,  winding 
through  the  grassey  valley  and  among 
waving  pines,  for  6.52  miles,  we  pass 

IStroiig’s  Canyon — and  bend, 
around  the  southern  end  of  the  valley, 
which  borders  DonnerLake,  then  crossing 
Coldstream,  commence  the  ascent  of  the 
mountains.  Soon  after  passing  this  side- 
track, our  train  enters  a snow-shed, 
which — with  a number  of  tunnels, — is 
continuous  for  twenty-eight  miles,  with  but 
a few  “ peek-holes,”  through  which  to  get 
a glimpse  at  the  beautitul  scenery  along 
this  part  of  the  route — yet,  we  shall  de- 
scribe it,  all  the  same.  As  the  train  skirts 
the  eastern  base,  rising  higher  and  higher, 
Donner  Lake  is  far  below,  looking  like  a 
lake  of  silver  set  in  the  shadows  of  green 
forests  and  brown  mountains.  Up  still, 
the  long,  black  line  of  the  road  bending 
around  and  seemingly  stealing  away  in  the 
same  direction  in  which  we  are  moving, 
though  far  below  us,  points  out  the  wind- 
ing course  we  have  followed. 

Up,  still  up,  higher  and  higher  toils  the 
train,  through  the  long  line  of  snow-sheds 
leading  to  the  first  tunnel,  while  the  loco- 
motives are  snorting  an  angry  defiance  as 
they  enter  the  gloomy,  rock-bound  chamber. 

Summit — is  14.31  miles  west  of 
Truckee,  the  highest  point  on  the  Sierra 
Nevada  Mountains,  passed  over  by  the 
Central  Pacific  railroad,  7,017  feet  above 
the  level  of  the  sea.  Distance  from  Omaha, 
1,669  miles;  from  San  Francisco,  245  miles. 
This  is  not  the  highest  land  of  the  Sierra 
Nevada  Mountains,  by  any  means,  for 
bleak  and  bare  of  vendure,  rise  the  granite 
peaks  around  us,  to  an  altitude  of  over 
10,000  feet.  Piles  of  granite— their  weather- 
stained  and  moss-clad  sides  glistening  in 
the  morning  sun — rise  between  us  and  the 
“ western  shore,”  hiding  from  our  sight  the 
vast  expanse  of  plain  that  we  know  lies  be- 
tween us  and  the  golden  shores  of  the 
Pacific  Ocean.  Scattering  groups  of  hardy 
fir  and  spruce,  line  the  mountain  gorges, 
where  rest  the  everlasting  snows  that  have 
rested  in  the  deep  shady  gulches,  near  the 
summit  of  these  towering  old  mountains — 
who  can  tell  how  long?  They  have  lain, 
evidently,  since  Adam  was  a very  small 
boy,  or  the  tree  sprouted  from  which  our 
apple-loving  ancestor.  Eve,  plucked  that 
bedeviled  fruit. 


We  are  on  the  dividing  ridges  which 
separate  the  head-waters  of  several  moun- 
tain rivers,  which,  by  difierent  and  tor- 
tuous courses,  find  at  last  the  same  common 
receptacle  for  their  snow-fed  waters— the 
Sacramento  River.  Close  to  our  right, 
far  down  in  that  fir-clad  gorge,  the  waters 
of  the  South  Yuba  leap  and  dance  along, 
amid  dense  and  gloomy  forests,  and  over 
almost  countless  rapids,  cascades  and 
waterfalls.  This  stream  heads  against  and 
far  up  the  Summit,  one  branch  crossing 
the  road  at  the  next  station.  Cascade.  After 
passing  Cisco,  the  head  waters  of  Bear 
River  can  be  seen  lying  between  the  Divide 
and  the  Yuba,  which  winds  away  be- 
yond, out  of  sight,  behind  another  mountain 
ridge.  Farther  on  still,  and  we  find  the 
American  River  on  our  left.  These  streams 
reach  the  same  ending  the  Sacramento  River 
but  are  far  apart,  where  they  mingle  with 
that  stream.  There  is  no  grander  scenery 
in  the  Sierras,  of  towering  mountains,  deep 
gorges,  lofty  precipices,  sparkling  water- 
fills  and  crystal  lakes,  than  abound  within 
an  easy  distance  of  this  place.  The  tourist 
can  find  scenes  of  the  deepest  interest  and 
grandest  beauty ; the  scholar  and  philoso- 
pher, objects  of  rare  value  for  scientific  in- 
vestigation ; the  hunter  and  the  angler  can 
find  an  almost  unlimited  field  for  his 
amusement;  the  former  in  the  gorges  of 
the  mountains,  where  the  timid  deer  and 
fierce  grizzly  bear  make  their  homes;  the 
latter  among  the  mountain  lakes  and 
streams,  where  the  speckled  trout  leaps  in 
its  joyous  freedom,  while  around  all,  is  the 
music  of  snow-fed  mountain  torrent  and 
mountain  breeze,  and  over  all  is  the  clear 
blue  sky  of  a sunny  clime,  tempered  and 
softened  by  the  shadows  of  the  everlasting 
hills. 

Tunnels  and  Snow-Sheds. — From  the 
time  the  road  enters  the  crests  of  the  “ Sum- 
mit,” it  passes  through  a succession  of  tun- 
nels and  snow-sheds  so  closely  connected 
that  the  traveler  can  hardly  tell  when  the 
cars  enter  or  leave  a tunnel.  The  Summit 
tunnel,  the  longest  of  the  number,  is  1,659 
feet  long,  the  others  ranging  from  100  to 
870  feet  in  length. 

The  snow-sheds  are  solid  structures,  built 
of  sawed  and  round  timber,  completel}^ 
roofing  in  the  road  for  many  miles  (see 
illustration,  pages,  85-101.)  When  the  road 
was  completed,  there  were  23  miles  of  shed 
built,  at  an  actual  cost  of  $10,000  per  mile. 
With  the  additions  since  made,  the  line 
reaches  about  45  miles,  which  includes  the 


f 


AND  PACIFIC  COAST  GUIDE. 


183 


whole  length  of  the  deep  snow  line  on  the 
dividing  ridge.  When  we  consider  that 
along  the  summit  the  snow  falls  from  16  to 
20  feet  deep  during  a wet  winter,  we  can 
imagine  the  necessity  and  importance  of 
these  structures.  By  this  means  the  track 
is  as  clear  from  snow  in  the  winter  as  are 
the  valleys.  The  mighty  avalanches  which 
sweep  down  the  mountain  sides  in  spring, 
hearing  everything  before  them,  pass  over 
the  sloping  roofs  of  the  sheds  and  plunge 
into  the  chasms  below,  while  beneath  the 
rushing  mass  the  cars  glide  smoothly 
along,  the  passengers  hardly  knowing  but 
that  they  are  in  the  midst  of  an  enormous 
tunnel. 

Where  the  road  lies  clear  on  the  divide 
or  level  land,  the  sheds  have  sharp  roofs, 
like  those  of  any  building  calculated  to 
withstand  a great  weight  of  snow.  But 
where  the  road  is  built  against  the  side  of 
these  bare  peaks,  the  roof  of  the  shed  can 
have  but  one  slope,  and  that  must  reach  the 
mountain  side,  to  enable  the  “ snow-slides” 
to  cross  the  road  without  doing  harm  to 
that  or  the  passing  trains.  (See  illustration, 
pages,  101  and  170.) 

Fires  sometimes  cause  damage  to  sheds 
and  road,  but  seldom  any  delay  to  the 
trains,  as  the  company  have  materials  of  all 
kinds  on  hand  for  any  emergency,  and, 
with  their  swarm  of  men,  can  replace 
everything  almost  as  quick  as  it  is  de- 
stroyed; but,  to  further  protect  the  snow- 
sheds  and  bridges  from  tire,  and  the  more 
effectually  to  extinguish  them,  the  Railroad 
Company  have  stationed  the  locomotive 
Grey  Eagle  at  the  Summit  (with  steam  al- 
ways up  and  ready  to  answer  a summons), 
with  a force  pump  of  large  capacity,  sup- 
plied with  steam  from  the  engine.  At- 
tached to  the  locomotive  are  eight  water 
cars,  the  tanks  on  which  are  connected 
with  each  other  and  with  the  tender  of  the 
engine,  so  that  the  supply  of  water  wdll  al- 
ways be  sufficient  to  check  any  ordinary  fire. 

The  Summit  House,  located  at  the  sta- 
tion, is  one  of  the  best  hotels  on  the  road 
and  can  furnish  tourists  with  every  accom- 
modation required,  while  spendiug  a few 
days  or  weeks  exploring  this  very  inter- 
esting region. 

Passengers  from  the  West,  desiring  to 
visit  Lake  Tahoe,  can  take  a stage  at  the 
Summit  House,  which  will  afford  them  a 
fine  view  of  Donner  Lake,  while  rolling 
down  the  mountain  and  around  to  the 
north  and  east  side  of  it,  en  route  to  Tahoe. 
Returning,  those  who  choose,  can  take  the 


cars  for  the  East,  at  Truckee,  without  re- 
turning to  the  Summit.  Fare  for  the 
“ round  trip,”  $6.00. 

Leaving  the  Summit,  we  pass  on  through 
the  long  shed,  and  tunnels  alternately, 
around  the  base  of  towering  peaks,  anon 
over  high,  bare  ridges,  then  through  grand 
old  forests,  for  5.77  miles  to 

Cascade — Here  we  cross  one  of  the 
branches  of  the  Yuba,  which  goes  leaping 
down  the  rocks  in  a shower  of  spray  dur- 
ing the  summer,  but  in  the  winter  the 
chasm  shows  naught  but  a bed  of  snow 
and  ice. 

Summit  valley,  one  of  the  loftiest  of  the 
Sierra  valleys,  lies  to  the  west,  a broad, 
grassy  meadow,  dotted  with  trees  and  ly- 
ing between  two  lofty  mountains,  about 
two  miles  long  by  one  mile  wide.  It  is 
covered  with  a luxuriant  growth  of  grass, 
affording  pasturage  for  large  bands  of  cat- 
tle, dining  the  summer.  It  is  all  occupied 
by  dairymen  and  stock-raisers,  at  whose 
comfortable  dwellings  the  tourist  will  find 
a hearty  welcome.  It  is  a delightful  sum- 
mer retreat ; a favorite  resort  for  those  who 
prefer  the  mountains,  with  their  cool 
breezes  and  pure  water.  The  valley  is 
watered  by  many  springs  and  snow-fed 
rivulets,  whose  waters  flow  to  the  Ameri- 
can River. 

This  valley  is  becoming  noted  in  a busi- 
ness point  of  view,  as  well  as  being  a place 
of  summer  resort.  It  is  becoming  cele- 
brated as  a meat  packing  station,  it  having 
been  demonstrated  that  pork  and  beef 
can  be  successfully  cured  here  during  any 
portion  of  the  year. 

Soda  Springs  — are  situated  near  the 
foot  of  Summit  Valley,  their  waters  unit- 
ing with  others,  forming  the  head  waters 
of  the  American  River.  The  springs  are 
very  large  and  numerous,  and  the  water  is 
pronounced  to  be  the  best  medicinal  water 
in  the  State.  It  is  a delightful  drink,  cool 
and  sparkling,  possessing  the  taste  of  the 
best  quality  of  manufactured  soda  water. 
The  larger  of  the  springs  have  been  im- 
proved, and  great  quantities  of  the  water 
are  now  bottled  and  shipped  to  all  parts  of 
the  State.  Near  the  Soda  Springs  are 
others,  the  waters  of  which  are  devoid  of 
mineral  or  aciduous  taste,  and  boiling  hot. 

In  the  summer  these  springs  are  much  re- 
sorted to  by  people  from  the  “Bay.”  There 
is  a comfortable  hotel  at  the  Springs  which 
is  reached  from  the  Summit  by  stage,  and 
sometimes  at  a side-  track,  called  “ Soda 


184: 


ckofutt’s  new  overland  tourist 


Spring  Station,”  midway  between  Sum- 
mit and  Cascade  stations. 

Tainerack— is  the  next  station,  4.2 
miles  from  Cascade,  and  3.51  miles  from 

Cisco — At  one  time  this  was  quite  an 
important  place,  being  the  “terminus” 
during  the  time  occupied  in  tunneling 
through  the^  summit;  then^  it  was  a place 
of  500  inhabitants,  now^  a score  or  so  make 
up  the  town. 

From  this  station  we  pass  along  rapidly 
and  easily,  without  the  help  of  the  locomo- 
tive. To  the  right,  occasional  glimpses  of 
the  Bear  and  Yuba  Rivers  can  be  seen 
far  below  us. 

^ap~is  8.5  miles  west 
of  Cisco,  at  the  place  where  the  old  emi- 
grant road  crossed  the  Divide,  and  fol- 
lowed down  the  ridges  to  the  valley  of  the 
Sacramento.  The  emigrants  passed  omr 
the  “ gap,”  we  pass  under  it,  making  a 
slight  difference  in  elevation  between  the 
two  roads,  as  well  as  a difference  in  the 
mode  of  traveling.  We  have  seen  the  last 
of  the  old  emigrant  road  that  we  have  fol- 
lowed so  far.  No  more  will  the  weary  emi- 
grant toil  over  the  long  and  weary  journey. 
Space  is  annihilated,  and  the  tireless  iron 
horse  will  henceforth  haul  an  iron  wagon 
over  an  iron  road,  landing  the  tourist  and 
emigrant  fresh  and  hearty,  after  a week’s 
ride,  from  the  far  eastern  shores  of  our 
country  to  the  far  western — from  ocean  to 
ocean. 

Passing  on  amid  the  grand  old  pines, 
leaving  the  summit  peaks  behind,  we  turn 
up  Blue  Canyon,  the  road-bed  on  the  oppo- 
site bank  apparently  running  parallel 
with  the  one  we  are  traversing.  Swinging 
around  the  head  of  the  canyon,  past  saw- 
mills and  lumber  side-tracks,  5.2  miles, 
we  reach 

nine  Canyon— a freight  and  lum- 
ber station,  where  immense  quantities  of 
lumber  are  shipped  from  mills  in  the  vicin- 
ity. Before  the  railroad  reached  these 
mountains,  the  lumber  interest  of  this  sec- 
tion was  of  little  value,  there  being  only  a 
local  demand,  which  hardly  paid  for  build- 
ing mills  and  keeping  teams.  The  mines 
were  then  the  only  market — the  cost  of 
freight^  to  the  valleys  forbidding  competi- 
tion with  the  Puget  Sound  lumber  trade, 
or  with  mills  situated  so  much  nearer  the 
agricultural  districts.  Now  the  lumber  can 
be  sent  to  the  valleys,  and  sold  as  cheaply 
as  any,  in  a market  rarely  overstocked ; for 
the  one  item  of  lumber  forms  one  of  the  sta- 
ple market  articles,  ruling  at  more  regular 


prices,  and  being  in  better  demand  than 
any  other  article  of  trade,  on  the  coast,  if 
we  except  wheat. 

Leaving  Blue  Canyon,  we  speed  along 
around  the  hill-sides,  past 

China  Ranch — a side-track,  about  two 
miles  west.  The  passenger  should  now 
watch  the  scenery  on  the  left. 

Nhady  Kun— is  4.72  miles  west  of 
Blue  Canyon,  but  passenger  trains  seldom 
stop.  On  the  left,  south  side,  can  be  seen 
one  of  the  grandest  gorges  in  the  Sierra 
Nevada  Mountains,  “The  Great  American 
Canyon.”  (See  illustration,  page  157).  At 
this  point  the  American  River  is  com- 
pressed between  two  walls,  2,000  feet  high, 
and  so  nearly  perpendicular  that  we  can 
stand  on  the  brink  of  the  cliff  and  look 
directly  down  on  the  foaming  waters  be- 
low. The  canyon  is  about  two  miles  long, 
and  so  precipitous  are  its  sides,  which  are 
washed  by  the  torrent,  that  it  has  been 
found  impossible  to  ascend  the  stream 
through  the  gorge,  even  on  foot.  This  is  a 
beautiful  view — one  of  nature’s  most  mag- 
nificant  panoramas.  But  we  soon  lose 
sight  of  it,  as  our  train  turns  to  the  right, 
up  a side  canyon,  4.84  miles  from  Shady 
Run,  and  stops  at 

Alta — Alta  looks  old  and  weather- 
beaten, and  its  half-dozen  board  houses, 
with  sharp  roofs,  look  as  though  there  was 
little  less  than  a century  between  the  pres- 
ent and  the  time  when  they  were  ushered 
into  existence — like  its  namesake  in  San 
Francisco,  after  which  it  was  named. 

JDutcli  .Flat— is  1.87  miles  from  Alta ; 
old  settlers  call  it  German  Level.  The 
town  of  Dutch  Flat  is  situated  in  a hollow, 
near  by  and  to  the  right  of  the  road,  a por- 
tion of  it  being  in  plain  view.  The  town 
contains  many  good  buildings,  churches, 
schools,  and  hotels.  The  a weekly 

newspaper,  is  a new  institution  at  Dutch 
Flat.  ^ Population,  about  2,000.  One  feature 
of  this  town  is  worth  noting,  and  worthy 
of  commendation — the  beautiful  gardens 
and  fine  orchards  which  ornament  almost 
every  house.  In  almost  all  of  the  moun- 
tain towns — in  fact  in  all  of  the  older  min- 
ing towns — the  scene  is  reproduced,  while 
many  of  the  valley  towns  are  bare  of  vines, 
flowers  or  fruit  trees;  the  miner’s  cabin  has 
its  garden  and  fruit  trees  attached,  if  water 
can  be  had  for  irrigation,  while  half  of  the 
farm-houses  have  neither  fruit  trees,  shrubs, 
flowers  nor  gardens  around  them. 

Stages  leave  this  station  daily  for  Little 
York,  You  Bet  and  Red  Dog.  Freight 


BIjOCICZ, 


WHOLESALE  DRUGGIST, 


229  E.  Randolph.  St., 

CHICAGO. 


ILvdla-dLe  a.  3pecia,lt37'- 


31UNSON  & CO., 

f^ufe  Ok,k  Seltii^i 

MANUFACTURERS. 


— J-OBBEIiS  I 

Belt  Hooks,  Belt  Studs,  E tc. 

Our  Productions  are  not  Surpassed  in  Quality. 
SEND  FOR  PRICES. 
OmO-^OO,  IX-.IL..: 

1 0,  1 2,  1 4 and  1 0,  Randolph 


WOOD-IIAITT.TN( 


'5VADA.  (See  Annex  No.  39,) 


(11.) 


TIE  PILLIAI  HOTEL  CAE  EOITE. 

ONLY  ONE  Railroad  between  CHICAGO  and  the  MISSOURI  RIVER  (Omaha)  can  offer  to  the 
Trans-Continental  Tra  veler  these  luxurious  Hotel  Cars,  and  that  Road  is  the 

oh:ic.a.c3-o  jL.jsnD 


THESE  WORLD-RENOWNED 

H PULLMAN  HOTEL  CARS 

ARE  NOW  RUNNING  BETWEEN 

Chicago  and  Council  Bluffs. 

On  the  Omaha,  Denver  and  California  Trains  of  the 

Oliica^gro  cSc  IbT ortih.'^estera:^ 


Interior  of  Pullman  Hotel  Car.  The  Clileagro  & North-Western 
iitailway  le  the  only  road  that  runs  Pullman  or  a»*y  other 
form  of  Hotel,  l>ininjj  or  Restaurant  Car  THROlJGH 
between  Chicajcro  and  the  Missouri  River. 


(0 


XJ  ITS 

ass 


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HI 

b g 
0 1 

Wi 

n 


^ 9 V. 


s « s 


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Mi 

^ i 

o 'H 
525  s 
P o3 
O m 


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A ^ 


It  is  not  exaggeration  to  say  that  no  road  in  the  world  can  produce  the  equal  to  these  magnificent 
cars,  and  as  the  average  traveler  wants  the  best  of  everything  that  can  be  had,  he  must  of  necessity 
use  this  line  in  his  TRANS-CONTINENTAL  TRIP. 

The  charges  for  berths  in  these  Hotel  Cars  are  the  same  (and  no  higher)  as  are  made  in  the  mote 
common  Sleeping  Car,  so  that  the  traveler  using  one  of  these  palatial  hotels  is  given  much  more 
worth  for  his  money  than  he  can  get  on  any  other  line. 

Insist  upon  Ticket  Agents  selling  you  Tickets  via  this  Road. 

Examine  your  Tickets,  and  refuse  to  buy  if  they  do  not  read  over  this  Road. 

All  Ticket  Agents  can  sell  you  Through  Tickets  and  Check  usual  Baggage  Free  by  this  Line, 

J^ew  York  Office— Broadway;  Boston  Office—^  State  Street;  Chicago  Ticket  Offices— Clark 
Street,  under  Sherman  House,  75  Canal  Street,  and  Wells  Street  T)epot—Q,oxvi<cx  Wells  and  Kinzie 
Streets;  Omaha  Ticket  Offices — Union  Pacific  Depot,  and  245  Farnham  Street,  cor.  14th;  San  Fran- 
cisco Office— '2  New  Montgomery  Street. 

MARVIN  HUGHITT,  W,  H.  STENNETT, 

General  Manager,  Chicago.  General  Passenger  Agent,  Chicago. 


teams  leave  liere  for  all  the  above  named 
towns  and  mining  camps  in  this  vicinity. 

Little  York — a mining  town,  three 
miles  northwest  of  Dutch  Flat,  contains 
about  500  inhabitants. 

You  Bet — is  six  miles  from  Little  York, 
also  a mining  town,  about  the  same  size. 

Bed  Dog — seven  and  a-half  miles  from 
You  Bet,  is  still  another  small  mining  town. 

These  towns  are  situated  on  what  is 
called  the  Blue  Lode,  the  best  large  placer 
mining  district  in  the  State.  The  traveler 
will  see  the  evidences  of  the  vast  labor 
performed  here,  while  standing  on  the 
platform  of  the  cars  at  Alta,  Dutch  Flat  or 
Gold  Run  stations.  The  Blue  Lode  ex- 
tends from  below  Gold  Run,  through  the 
length  of  Nevada,  on,  into  and  through 
a portion  of  Sierra  county.  It  is  supposed 
to  be  the  bed  of  some  ancient  river,  which 
was  much  larger  than  any  of  the  existing 
mountain  streams.  The  course  of  this  old 
river  was  nearly  at  right  angles  with  that 
followed  by  the  Yuba  and  other  streams, 
which  run  across  it.  The  channel  is  from 
one  to  five  miles  wide  in  places — at  least 
the  gravel  hills,  which  are  supposed  to 
cover  the  bed,  extend  for  that  distance 
across  the  range.  Many  of  these  gravel 
hills  are  from  100  to  500 
feet  high,  covered  with 
pine  trees  from  two  to 
six  feet  in  diameter. 

Petrified  trees,  oak  and 
pine,  and  other  woods, 
such  as  manzanita, 
mountain  maho  g a n y 
and  maple,  are  found 
in  the  bed  of  the  river, 
showing  that  the  same 
varieties  of  wood  existed 
when  this  great  change 
was  wrought,  as  are 
now  growing  on  the 
adjacent  hill-sides. 

Hydraulic  Mining— 

The  traveler  will  oh- 
serve  by  the  road-side, 
mining  ditches  and 
flumes,  carrying  a large 
and  rapid  stream  of 
water.  These  ditches 
extend  for  many  miles, 
tapping  the  rivers  near 
their  sources — near  the 
regions  ot  perpetual 
snow.  By  this  means 
the  water  is  conveyed 
over  the  tops  of  the 


hills,  whence  it  is  carried  to  any  claim 
below  it.  The  long,  high  and  nar- 
row flume,  called  a “telegraph,”  car- 
ries the  water  from  the  ditch,  as 
nearly  level  as  possible,  over  the  claim 
to  be  worked.  To  the  “telegraph”  is  at- 
tached a hose  with  an  iron  pipe,  or  nozzle, 
through  which  the  water  rushes  with  great 
velocity.  AVhen  directed  against  a gravel 
bank,  it  cuts  and  tears  it  down,  washing 
the  dirt  thoroughly,  at  a rate  astonishing 
to  those  unacquainted  with  hydraulic  min- 
ing. (See  accompanying  illustration.)  The 
water  carries  rocks,  dirt  and  sand  through 
the  tail  race,  and  into  the  long  flumes, 
where  the  riffles  for  collecting  the  gold  are 
placed.  Miles  and  miles  of  the  flumes 
have  been  built,  at  an  enormous  expense, 
to  save  the  gold  carried  away  in  the  tail- 
ings. 

Around  Little  York  and  You  Bet,  the 
lode  is  mixed  too  much  with  cement  to 
mine  in  this  manner  with  profit,  hence 
mills  have  been  erected  where  the  cement 
is  worked  in  the  same  manner  as  quartz 
rock — crushed  and  then  amalgamated. 

Gold  Run— is  2. 13  miles  beyond  Dutch 
Flat,  and  is  a small  mining  town,  contain- 
ing about  200  inhabitants.  Around  it  you 


HYDRAULIC  MINING. 


186  ckofutt’s  new  overland  tourist 


can  see,  on  every  hand,  the  miner’s  ^vork. 
Long  flume  beds,  which  carry  off  the 
washed  gravel  and  retain  the  gold;  long 
and  large  ditches  full  of  ice-cold  water, 
which,  directed  by  skillful  hands,  are  fast 
tearing  down  the  mountains  and  sending 
the  washed  debris  to  fill  the  river-beds  in 
the  plains  below.  There  are  a set  of 
“pipes”  busily  playing  against  the 
hill-side,  which  often  comes  down  in 
acres.  All  is  life,  energy  and  activity. 
We  don’t  see  many  children  peeping  out 
of  those  cabins,  for  they  are  not  so  plentful 
in  the  mining  districts  as  in  Salt  Lake. 
But  we  do  see  nearly  all  of  the  cabins  sur- 
rounded with  little  gardens  and  orchards, 
which  produce  the  finest  of  fruits. 

Descending  the  mountain  rapidly,  amid 
mining  claims,  by  the  side  of  large  ditches, 
through  the  deep  gravel  cuts,  and  along 
the  grassy  hill-sides,  until,  on  the  left,  a 
glimpse  of  the  North  Fork  of  the  Ameri- 
can River  can  be  had,  foaming  and  dash- 
ing along  in  a narrow  gorge  full  1,500 
feet  beneath  us.  Farther  on  we  see  the 
North  Fork  of  the  North  Fork,  dashing 
down  the  steep  mountain  at  right  angles 
with  the  other,  leaping  from  waterfall  to 
waterfall,  its  sparkling  current  resembling 
an  airy  chain  of  danc- 
ing sunbeams,  as  it  has- 
tens on  to  unite  with 
the  main  stream.  Now 
we  lose  sight  of  it,  while 
it  passes  through  one  of 
those  grand  canyons  on- 
ly to  be  met  with  in  these 
mountains. 

. C.H.  Mills-a  sta- 
tion where  trains  sel- 
dom stop,  is  5.96  miles 
from  Gold  Run.  The 
passenger  should  be  on 
the  lookout,  and  look  to 
the  left — south — as  the 
scene  changes  with  every 
revolution  of  the  wheels. 

A few  moments  ago  we 
left  the  canyon  behind — 
now,  behold,  it  breaks 
on  our  view  again,  and 
this  time  right  under  us, 
as  it  were,  but  much 
farther  down.  It  seems 
as  though  we  could  j ump 
from  the  platform  into 
the  river,  so  close  are  we 
to  the  brink  of  the  preci- 
pice; steadily  on  goes 


the  long  train,  while  far  below  us  the  wa- 
ters dance  along,  the  river  looking  like  a 
winding  thread  of  silver  laid  in  the  bottom 
of  the  chasm,  2,500  feet  below  us.  This  is 
Cape  Horn,  one  of  the  grandest  scenes  on 
the  American  Continent,  if  not  in  the 
world.  Timid  ladies  will  drawback  with 
a shudder — one  look  into  the  awful  chasm 
being  sufficient  to  unsettle  their  nerves, 
and  deprive  them  of  the  wish  to  linger 
near  the  grandest  scene  on  the  whole  line 
of  the  trans-continental  railroad. 

Now  look  farther  down  the  river  and 
behold  that  black  speck  spanning  the  sil- 
ver line.  That  is  the  turnpike  bridge  on 
the  road  to  Iowa  Hill,  though  it  looks  no 
larger  than  a foot  plank.  Now  we  turn 
sharp  around  to  our  right,  where  the 
towering  masses  of  rock  have  been  cut 
down,  affording  a road-bed,  where  a few 
years  ago  the  savage  could  not  make  a 
foot  trail.  Far  above  us  they  rear  their 
black  crests,  towering  away,  as  it  were, 
to  the  clouds,  their  long  shadows  falling 
far  across  the  lovely  little  valley  now  ly- 
ing on  our  left,  and  a thousand  feet  below 
us  still.  We  have  lost  sight  of  the  river, 
and  are  following  the  mountain  side,  look- 
ing for  a place  to  cross  this  valley  and 


AND  PACIFIC  COAST  GUIDE.  187 


reach  the  road-bed  on  the  opposite  side, 
which  we  can  see  ruDs  parallel  with  us. 
Soon  it  is  found,  and  turning  to  our  left, 
we  cross  the  valley — Rice’s  Ravine — on  a 
trestle  bridge  113  feet  high  and  878  feet 
long,  under  which  can  be  seen  the  track  of 
; the  narrow  gauge  railroad,  from  Colfax 
to  Nevada.  Gradually  the  height  grows 
less,  until  it  is  reduced,  at  the  end  of  600 
I feet,  enough  to  admit  of  an  embankment 
! being  raised  to  meet  it.  On,  over  the  em- 
; bankment,  which  curves  around  to  the 
{ left,  and  now  we  are  on  the  solid  hill-side, 

! and  running  along  opposite  the  road  by 
I which  we  passed  up  the  valley.  We  now 
! have  our  last  and  best  look  at  the  bold 
bluff. 

The  best  view  of  this  noted  place  is  ob- 
; tained  when  going  east,  or  from  the  river 
' below.  Viewed  from  the  river,  the  pass- 
j ing  train  looks  like  some  huge  monster 
I winding  around  the  bluff,  bold  point, 

■ puffing  and  blowing  with  its  herculean 
I labors,  or  screaming  angry  notes  of  de- 
fiance, or  perhaps  of  ultimate  triumph  at 
the  obstacles  overcome  (see  page  189). 

When  the  road  was  in  course  of  con- 
struction, the  groups  of  Chinese  laborers 
I on  the  bluffs  looked  almost  like  swarms  of 
j ants,  when  viewed  from  the  river.  Years 
I ago,  the  cunning  savage  could  find  only 
a very  roundabout  trail  by  which  to  ascend 
i the  point,  where  now  the  genius  and 
! energy  of  the  pale-face  has  laid  a broad 
: and  safe  road,  whereon  the  iron  steed  car- 
ries its  living  freight  swiftly  and  safely  on 
their  way  to  and  from  ocean  to  ocean. 

When  the  road-bed  was  constructed 
I around  this  point,  the  men  who  broke  the 
! first  standing  ground  were  held  by  ropes 
I until  firm  foot-holds  could  be  excavated 
I in  the  rocky  sides  of  the  precipitous  blufis. 

Colfax  — is  4.5  miles  from  C.  H.  Mills, 

' and  about  two  miles  beyond  Ihe  high 
, bridge  mentioned.  This  is  a regular  eat- 
ing station,  and  an  excellent  table  is  set 
I The  company  have  a large  depot  here,  this 
being  the  distributing  point  for  freight 
bound  for  Grass  Valley,  Nevada,  and  a 
large  scope  of  mining  country.  The  town 
is  named  in  honor  of  Schuyler  Colfax, 
' one  of  the  warmest  friends  and  earliest 
supporters  of  the  road. 

Colfax  is  a substantial  railroad  town. 
It  contains  about  1,000  inhabitants,  is  well 
! watered,  and  has  an  air  of  general  thrift 
I about  it,  which  marks  all  the  permanent 
towns  along  the  road.  The  school  and 
church  accommodations  are  ample;  the 


climate  is  invigorating  and  healthy,  and 
the  inhabitants  a thrifty,  driving,  enter- 
prising people;  the  greater  number,  na- 
tives of  the  State  of  Illinois,  who  emi- 
grated to  this  country  in  early  days— 
1849—50. 

Illinois  Town — is  a half-mile  west, 
once  a noted  freighting  point  for  the  sur- 
rounding mines,  now  the  only  business  is 
raising  fruit,  apples,  peaches  and  pears. 

Iowa  Hill — is  a mining  town,  12  miles 
south  of  Colfax.  A good  toll-road  crosses 
the  American  River  on  the  bridge  which 
we  saw  when  rounding  Cape  Horn,  and 
follows  up  the  mountain  to  the  town, 
which  contains  about  250  inhabitants. 
Formerly  stages  ran  daily  to  Iowa  Hill 
and  the  mining  camps  to  the  southward, 
but  for  some  reason,  they  now  run  only 
semi-occasionally.  Private  conveyance  can 
always  be  secured  at  Colfax  at  reasonable 
charge. 

As  our  trip  is  for  pleasure,  and  to  see  all 
that  is  worth  seeing,  we  will  need  to  take 
a trip  to  the  old  mining  towns  of  Grass 
Valley  and  Nevada. 


l^evada  Comity  Narrow  Gauge 
Railroad. 

The  General  Offices  are  at  Grass  Valley. 

President. 

John  F.  Kidder Gen'll  Superintendent. 

, . ,Gen.  Pass.  Agt. 

This  road  is  a three-foot  narrow  gauge ; 
commenced  in  January,  1875,  and  com- 
pleted May  22,  1876;  length,  223^  miles. 
This  is  a very  crooked  road  has  15  trestle 
bridges,  aggregating  5,176  feet,  two  truss 
bridges,  each  165  feet  long,  and  97  and  85 
feet  high,  respectively;  and  two  tunnels, 
aggregating  800  feet.  As  for  the  scenery — 
well,  it  is  immense — the  rapid  and  aston- 
ishing changes  remind  one  of  the  kaleid- 
oscope^ and  its  wondrous  changes.  Here 
are  to  be  seen  every  variety  of  mountain 
scenery,  as  though  a choice  morsel  of  each 
of  the  grand  beauties  of  nature  had  slipped 
from  the  haod  of  the  great  Architect  while 
distributing  them,  giving  such  a variety  of 
magnificent  views  as  are  seldom,  if  ever, 
found  in  the  same  distance  traveled. 

On  the  route  we  shall  pass  through  fear- 
ful chasms,  and  tortuous  canyons ; under 
and  over  lofty  bridges,  through  dense  for- 
ests, beside  bright  green  fields  and  tower- 
ing mountains ; tall  pines,  and  diminutive 
manzanitas;  huge  smelting  furnaces,  and 
thundering  quartz  mills ; long  water  flumes 


188  ckofutt’s  new  overlane  tourist 


and  beautiful  cascades ; large  rivers, 
and  tiny  sparkling  creeks  ; dark  and 
gloomy  gorges,  and  fruit-laden  orchards ; 
old  placer  diggings,  new  diggings,  and 
immense  quartz  mines.  But  come  along, 
and  take  a lc)ok.  The  train  stands  j ust  on 
the  south  side  of  the  depot  at  Colfax,  and 
leaves  on  the  arrival  of  the  overland  train. 

Passing  along  to  the  eastward,  we  gradu- 
ally descend  the  canyon  with  the  track  of 
the  C.  P.  road  away  above  us  on  the  left, 
and  again  to  the  right,  where  it  curves 
around  Cape  Horn,  a beautiful  view  of 
which  is  obtained.  Following  on  up,  we 
pass  under  the  high  bridge  of  the  Central, 
one  and  a-half  miles  from  Colfax,  and 
reach  the  Divide,  where  the  waters  run  to 
the  north,  to  Bear  Biver — which  we  soon 
reach  and  cross  on  a bridge  750  feet  long, 
and  97  feet  high ; amid  towering  pine  and 
spruce  trees  and  the  most  romantic  scen- 
ery— then,  4.5  miles  from  Colfax,  w^e  come 
to  the  side-track  station  of 

You  Bet — the  town  of  which  is  four 
miles  to  the  east — heretofore  described. 
We  now  come  to  the  Greenhorn.  Follow- 
ing it  up  through  a 850-foot  tunnel,  w^e 
cross  that  creek  on  a trestle  and  bridge  700 
feet  long;  on,  up  and  over  another  450  feet 
trestle,  along  the  side  of  the  mountain, 
overlooking  the  Greenhorn,  around  the 
great  “ S ” curve,  on  a grade  of  105  feet  to 
the  mile;  through  heavy  rock  cuts,  almost 
doubling  back  on  our  route. 

Storms — another  side-track,  by  a great 
saw-mill,  is  four  miles  further,  but  the 
trains  stop  only  on  signal.  The  moun- 
tains on  the  route  up  to  this  station  are 
covered  wdth  pines,  spruce  and  oaks.  The 
chasms  are  fearfully  grand  in  places  on 
the  left. 

Buena  Vista — another  side-track,  in  the 
Noonday  Valley,  is  four  miles  from  Storms, 
from  whence,  continuing  on  up  two  miles, 
we  reach 

Kress  Summit — with  an  altitude  of 
2,851  feet.  From  the  summit  the  descent 
is  rapid,  151  feet  to  the  mile;  the  moun- 
tains are  here  covered  with  small  pines 
and  manzanitas,  the  big  timber  that  once 
covered  them  having  long  since  been  cut 
off,  and  used  to  a great  extent  in  the  mines 
at  Grass  Valley.  On  the  road  down,  we 
pass  many  evidences  of  placer  mining,  and, 
doubtless,  will  see  some  Chinamen  Avork- 
ing  over  the  old  placers  near  Union  Hill. 
On  the  left  are  several  old  mills,  and  just 
before  reaching  Grass  Valley,  aw^ay  to  the 
right,  across  a low  place  in  the  ridge,  can 


be  seen  two  great  Quartz  Mills—the  Idaho 
and  Eureka.  Those  mills,  although  now 
on  our  right,  will  be  on  our  left  after  we 
pass  the  next  station.  The  distance  across 
from  track  to  track  is  1,200  feet;  around,  it 
is  three  miles.. 

Grass  Valley— This  is  an  old  and  still 
a thriving  mining  town  of  full  7,500  in- 
habitants. It  is  situated  17  miles  from 
Colfax,  85  miles  east  of  Marysville,  and 
five  and  a-half  miles  west  of  Nevada;  on 
the  sides  of  the  hills,  along  the  ravines, 
with  comfortable  little  residences  scattered 
about  the  nooks  and  gulches  promiscu- 
ously. It  contains  some  good'  business 
blocks,  and  some  fine  private  residences. 
The  private  dwellings,  generally,  are  en- 
closed in  fine  orchards  and  gardens,  which 
give  them  an  air  of  comfort  and  home-like 
beauty.  The  town  derives  its  prominence 
from  the  quartz  mines  in  and  around  it. 
No  town  in  the  State  has  produced  an 
equal  amount  of  gold  from  quartz,  and 
none  has  added  more  real  wealth  to  the 
State  at  large. 

In  September,  1850,  a miner  picked  up 
a piece  of  gold-bearing  quartz  on  Gold 
Hill.  From  this,  prospecting  commenced, 
and  soon  several  valuable  mines  were 
opened.  In  1851,  the  first  quartz  mill  was 
erected  in  Boston  Ravine,  now  one  of  the 
most  populous  portions  of  the  town. 

Grass  Valley  now  contains  19  quartz 
mills,  agregating  805  stamps,  besides 
three  large  de-sulphurising  works.  The 
city  is  illuminated  with  gas,  has  two  good 
hotels — the  Exchange  and  the  Wisconsin, 
one  daily  newspaper,  the  Grass  Valley 
Union,  and  the  Foothill  Tidings,  a weekly. 
Of  the  quartz  mills,  one  is  worthy  of  special 
note — the  Idaho.  Up  to  January,  1877, 
this  mill  had  never  failed  to  pay  a divi- 
dend for  100  months  in  succession,  varying 
from  $5  to  $25  per  share.  There  are  8,100 
shares  of  a par  value  of  $100;  and  these 
shares  have  sold  as  high  as  $750  each.  The 
total  receipts  for  nine  years  were  $4,589,- 
255 ; dividends  paid,  $2,270,750. 

Stages  leave  Grass  Valley  for  Marys- 
ville, west  85  miles.  Leaving  the  depot, 
which  is  on  the  south  side  and  overlooking 
the  town,  we  turn  east,  leaving  the  Idaho 
mill  and  the  old  Eureka  mill,  (now  aban- 
doned), on  our  left,  and  follow  up  through 
a section  of  country  where  are  long  fiumes, 
and  many  signs  of  placer  mining,  as  well 
as  old  washed  out  diggings.  "We  pass 
some  orchards  of  fruit,  a little  meadow- 
land,  cross  Wolft'  Creek,  see  the  Chinamen 


190 


ckofutt’s  new  overland  tourist 


digging  over  the  old  claims,  note  the  young 
pines,  and  the  long  “V”  flume  which  brings 
lumber  from  the  mountains  to  the  east- 
ward twelve  miles,  and  climb  up  to  the 
Town-Talk  Tunnel,  450  feet  long;  elevation 
2,774  feet;  and  then  descend,  passing 
old  mills  and  new  mills,  a portion  of  the 
city  of  Nevada,  away  acDJss  on  the  oppo- 
site side  of  the  mountain,  peacefully  re- 
posing— probably  all  unconscious  of  our 
near  approach.  On  the  descent  to  the  city, 
we  pass  the  New  England  mill  on  the 
left,  and  the  Pittsburgh  mill  on  the  right; 
then  cross  a bridge  450  feet  long  over  Gold 
Run  Creek,  where  considerable  placer 
mining  is  still  being  done,  and  after  a run 
of  five  and  a half  miles  from  Grass  Valley 
arrive  at  ’ 

Nevada— This  city  is  the  county  seat 
of  Nevada  county,  situated  on  Deer  Creek, 
a rapid  stream  with  rugged  canyon  walls, 
and  contains  a population  of  about  4,30o! 
There  are  here  seven  stamp  mills,  agrega- 
ting  110  stamps,  two  de-sulphurizing 
works,  and,  when  sufficient  water  can  be 
had  for  the  purpose,  an  extensive  business 
IS  carried  on  in  hydraulic  mining. 

The  place  is  rather  irregularly  laid  out, 
owing  to  the  formation  of  the  land  and  the 
creek  which  runs  through  a portion  of  the 
the  town.  There  are  some  good  business 
blocks,  good  county  buildings,  several 
hotels,  of  which  the  principal  is  the  Union ; 
one  daily  newspaper,  the  Transonvt;  and 
one  weekly,  the  Gazette,  There  are  some 
very  nice  private  residences,  surrounded 
with  orchards,  fruit  and  beautiful  shrub- 
bery, which  contrast  strikingly  with  the 
bare,  brown,  or  red  old  hillsides. 

The  first  mining  in  Nevada  was  placer, 
creek  and  gulch-washing.  ^ he  mines 
were  very  rich,  and  lasted  several  years. 
During  this  time  the  famous  hill  “ dig- 
gings,”  a part  of  the  “ old  river  bed,”  were 
discovered  and  opened.  They,  too,  proved 
a source  of  great  wealth,  though  many 
miners  became  “dead  broke”  before  the 
right  system-hydraulic  mining  with  long 
flumes — was  inaugurated.  These  mines 
proved  very  extensive  and  lasting,  and  yet 
form  one  of  the  chief  sources  of  the  city’s 
wealth.  Of  late  years  the  attention  of  the 
people  has  been  directed  to  cement  and 
quartz  mining,  and  several  very  valuable 
quartz  veins  have  been  opened,  and  fine 
mills  erected  on  them.  The  quartz  interest 
IS  now  a decided  feature  in  the  business  of 
the  city. 

Stages  leave  Nevada  daily  for  North  San 


Juan,  14  miles ; Comptonville,  22  miles  • 
Foiest  City,  45  miles,  and  Downieville 
50  miles.  ’ 

North  San  Juan — is  a lively  mining 
town  of  1,500  inhabitants,  most  of  whom 
are  engaged  in  hydraulic  or  other  min- 
mg.  Theyield  of  the  Milton  Company’s  mill 
foi  1877,  WTis  $238,000;  the  Manzanita 
mine,  $155,713,  for  the  same  year.  Or- 
chards and  vineyards  are  numerous,  also 
some  fine  private  residences. 

Comptonville— is  another  small  min- 
ing town,  of  about  500  inhabitants,  most  of 
whom  are  dependent  on  placer  mining 
and  they  have  a portion  of  the  “ old  chan- 
nel ” or  hill  mines  in  the  immediate 
vicinity. 

FoipsT  City— is  a place  of  about  400 
inhabitants,  also  a mining  town,  working 
“ drift  diggings.”  ° 

Downieville  — the  largest  town  in 
Sierra  county,  is  situated  on  Yuba  River 
with  a population  of  about  1,000.  ’ 

Bloomfield — is  twelve  miies  from  Ne- 
vada, sometimes  called  “Humbug,”  but  the 
yield  of  the  North  Bloomfield  Co.’s  mine 
for  1877,  $291,125,  was  not  much  of  a 
humbug. 

With  this  hasty  glance  at  a country 
where  the  material  for  a big  book  lays 
around  loose,  we  return  to  the  Overland 
road,  and  again  to  the  westward. 

Leaving  Colfax,  we  follow  down  Auburn 
Ravine,  at  times  near  its  bed  and  anon 
winding  in  and  out  among  the  hills,  which 
are  here  and  there  covered  with  small 
oaks  and  an  occasional  large  oak 
and  pine,  together  with  the  Manzanita,  a 
peculiar  shrub,  resembling  the  thorn  of 
pie  Eastern  States,  which  sheds  its  hark 
instead  of  its  leaves.  (See  Annex  No.  50) 
K,  Mills  — is  the  first  station  after 
Colfax,  5.6  miles  distant,  but  trains  stop 
only  on  signal.  The  country  is  very  rough 
and  broken,  and  3.31  miles  more  brings 
our  train  to 

Applegate— another  side-track  near 
some  lime  kilns.  Continuing  along  with 
numerous  cuts,  fills,  bridges  and  one  tun- 
nel near  the  next  station,  700  feet  long,  for 
2.97  iniles,we  arrive  at 
^ Clipper  Crap — an  unimportant  sta- 
tion. Again  onward,  we  leave  the  ravine 
and  keep  along  the  foot  hills,  to  hold  the 
grade — passing  through  many  an  old 
washed  placer  mine,  in  which,  only  a few 
short  years  ago,  could  be  seen  thousands  of 
naen  digging  and  washing,  washing  and 
digging,  from  morning  till  night,  seeking 


AND  PACIFIC  COAST  GUIDE. 


191 


what  is  said  to  be  “ the  root  of  all  evil  ” — 
GOLD — and  a huge  root  it  is ; they  all  point 
to  it;  we  are  hunting  it;  have  hunted  it  for 
forty  years ; struck  the  trail  several  times, 
but  it  soon  got  cold ; and  it  has  been  diffi- 
cult for  some  time  to  find  a “ color.” 

Auburn — The  county  seat  of  Placer 
county — is  7.71  miles  west  of  Clipper  Gap, 
and  contains  about  1,000  inhabitants.  Gar- 
dens, vineyards,  and  orchards  abound,  and 
everything  betokens  quiet,  home-comforts 
and  ease.  It  has  excellent  schools  and 
fine  churches,  and  is  one  of  the  neatest 
looking  towns  in  the  county.  The  public 
buildings,  court-house  etc.,  are  good,  and 
the  grounds  well  kept.  The  greater  portion 
of  the  dwellings  stand  a little  distance  from 
the  road.  The  American,  Orleans,  and 
Railroad  House,  are  the  principal  hotels. 
The  Placer  Herald  and  the  Argus,  both 
weekly  newspapers,  are  published  here. 

Stages  run  daily  from  Auburn  to  Pilot 
Hill,  eleven  miles;  Greenwood,  14  miles; 
Georgetown,  20  miles ; Coloma,  22  miles ; 
Forest  Hill,  23  miles;  Michigan  Blufts,  30 
miles ; Placerville,  30  miles. 

We  are  now  in  the  foot-hills: 

Alabaster  Gave  is  situated  eight  miles 
southeast  of  Auburn,  on  Kidd’s  Ravine, 
about  a mile  above  its  junction  with  the 
North  Fork  ot  the  American  River.  When 
the  cave  was  first  discovered,  Aug.  19,  1860, 
it  was  a beautiful  place,  consisting  of  one 
room,  100x30  feet.  At  the  north  end  was  a 
most  magnificent  pulpit,  in  the  Episcopal 
Church  style,  completed  with  the  most 
beautiful  drapery  of  alabaster  sterltes,  of 
I all  colors,  varying  from  white  to  pink-red, 

: overhanging  and  surroundingthe  beholder. 

I Immediately  under  the  pulpit  was  a beau- 
I tiful  little  lake  of  water.  Beyond  this 
I chamber  was  another,  200x100  feet,  with 
i most  beautiful  alabaster  overhangings,  in 
every  possible  shape  of  drapery.  Vandal 
hands,  have,  in  late  years,  destroyed  much 
of  its  original  beauty. 

After  leaving  Auburn,  we  pass  through 
Bloomer  Out,  (see  illustration,  page  195), 
then  near  the  next  station  we  pass  over  the 
New  Castle  Gap  Bridge,  which,  before  it 
was  filled  up  with  earth,  was  528  feet  long 
and  60  feet  high.  All  trestle  bridges  and 
trestle  works  on  both  the  Union  and 
Central  Pacific  roads,  have  all  been  filled 
in  with  rock,  earth  or  iron,  within  the  last 
five  years. 

New  Castle — is  a small  place  of 
about  200  inhabitants,  4.89  miles  from  Au- 
burn. We  pass  on  through  little  valleys 


and  among  low  hills,  with  evidences  of 
past  and  a little  present  mining. 

Off  to  the  right  are  the  old-time  mining 
camps  of  Ophir,  Virginia  City,  Gold  Hill, 
and  several  others,  where  yet  considerable 
placer  mining  is  indulged  in  by  the  old 
settlers  who  are  good  for  nothing  else. 

There  are  several  stone  quarries  near  the 
station,  where  a very  good  article  of  granite 
is  procured. 

Just  after  leaving  Newcastle,  we  catch 
the  first  glimpse  of  the  beautiful  valley  of 
the  Sacramento,  from  the  windows  on  the 
right-hand  side  of  the  cars.  There  has 
been  several  points  above,  where  the  val- 
ley could  be  Si  en  for  a moment,  but  very 
indistinctly.  Passing  on  by  several  valu- 
able stone  quarries,  for  6.06  miles,  we 
come  to 

Pin© — We  are  rapidly  descending,  but 
among  the  low  hills,  covered  with  chap- 
arral, manzanita  and  grease-wood,  the 
road  winds  onward  for  3.04  miles  further, 
passing  several  valuable  quarries,  to  the 
right  and  left,  when  w^e  arrive  at 

Rocklin — Here  the  company  have  a 
machine  shop  and  round-house  of  28  stalls, 
built  in  the  most  substantial  manner,  of 
granite  obtained  near  by.  The  celebrated 
Rocklin  Granite  Quarries  are  close  to  the 
station,  on  the  left-hand  side  of  the  road. 
The  granite  obtained  here  is  of  excellent 
quality,  and  does  not  stain  on  exposure  to 
the  weather.  The  stone  for  the  State  Cap- 
itol and  for  many  of  the  best  buildings  in 
San  Francisco  was  quarried  here. 

Leaving  Rocklin  and  the  foot-hills — the 
country  now  opening  out  into  the  plains, 
or  the  valley  bordering  the  American  River 
— we  have  no  more  hills  to  encounter ; yet 
the  country  is  somewhat  uneven,  and  after 
winding  around,  on  a regular  grade,  for 
3.91  miles  further,  we  reach  the 

jr unction — Roseville  Junction — This 
place  is  18.24  miles  from  Sacramento. 
Here  are  several  stores,  a hotel,  and  one  of 
the  best  places  on  the.  coast  to  establish  a 
flouring  mill.  Using  the  wheat  at  is 
raised  near,  and  finding  a ready  market  in 
the  mines  to  the  east,  would  have  a decided 
advantage  in  point  of  location  and  freights 
over  any  other  mill  on  the  coast.  At  this 
junction  branches  off  the  Oregon  division 
of  the  Central  Pacific,  for  Marysville  and 
the  North  Oregon.  The  road  is  completed 
to  Redding,  169  miles  north.  Passengers 
can  change  cars  here  if  they  choose,  or  go 
on  to  Sacramento,  as  the  trains  for  the  Ore- 
gon division  are  made  up  at  that  city,  and 


192  crofutt’s  new  overland  tourist 


start  on  the  arrival  of  the  morning  train 
from  San  Francisco,  about  3 p,  m.  We 
shall  take  a run  over  this  division,  starting 
from  Sacramento.  (See  page  193.)  See 
also  map  on  page  201,  and  schedule  of  time 
in  Annex  No.  47. 

Antelope— is  3.9  miles  west.  The 
country  is  more  level,  and  dotted  here  and 
there  with  varieties  of  oaks.  Passenger 
trains  do  not  stop,  but  pass  on,  and  6.42 
miles  further  come  to 

Arcade — a mere  side-track. 

Polling  down  4.56  miles  from  Arcade, 
the  train  slowly  crosses  a long  stretch  of 
elevated  road,  and  then  on  to  the  Ameri- 
can River  Bridge,  3.36  miles  east  of  Sacra- 
mento— which,  spans  the  main  stream  of 
the  American  River — and  pass  along  by 
the  orchards  and  gardens  which  fringe  the 
suburbs  of  the  capitol  of  California,  the 
dome  of  which  can  be  seen  on  the  left,  also 
the  State  Agricultural  Fair  Grounds.  The 
long  line  of  machine  shops  belonging  to 
the  Railroad  Company,  on  the  left,  are 
passed,  and  then  we  come  to  the  Sacra- 
mento River,  on  the  right,  with  its  crowded 
wharves,  and  stop  at  the  city  of 

{^aeramesftto — Until  the  spring  of 
1870,  this  was  the  western  terminus  of  the 
Grand  Trans-Continental  railroad.  But 
upon  the  completion  of  the  Western  Pa- 
cific, from  Sacramento  to  San  Francisco, 
the  two  roads  were  consolidated  under  the 
narne  of  the  Central  Pacific  railroad  of 
California,  making  one  unbroken  line  from 
San  Francisco  to  Ogden,  882  miles  long. 
The  distance  from  Sacramento  to  Omaha 
is  1,776.18  miles;  Kansas  City, 2,002 miles; 
to  Stockton,  50  miles ; San  Francisco, 
138  miles;  Vallejo,  60  miles;  Marysville, 
52  miles;  Portland,  Oregon,  642  miles. 

The  city  is  situated  on  the  east  bank  of 
the  Sacramento  River,  south  of  the  Ameri- 
can, which  unites  with  llie  Sacramento  at 
this  point.  It  i.  mostly  built  of  brick ; the 
streets  are  broad,  well- paved,  and  bordered 
with  shade  trees  throughout  a large  por- 
tion of  the  city.  It  contains  numerous 
elegant  public  and  private  buildings,  in- 
cluding the  State  Capitol  and  county  build- 
ings. Population,  22,000.  Churches,  of 
all  denominations,  are  numerous,  as  well  as 
public  and  private  schools.  There  are  two 
orphan  asylums ; one  Catholic,  by  the  Sis- 
ters of  St.  Joseph,  and  the  other  Protestant. 
Secret  orders  are  well  represented,  and 
newspapers  are  also  plentiful,  chief  of 
which  are  the  Mecord  and  the  15^6, 

both  daily  ; the  Journal — German — is  a 


tri-weekly ; the  Leader^  the  Agriculturalist 
and  the  Rescue^  weeklies.  The  city  is 
lighted  with  gas  and  supplied  with  water 
by  two  huge  pumps  in  a building  just 
north  of  the  depot — with  a capacity  of 
90,000  gallons  per  hour. 

Hotels  are  numerous,  but  the  principal 
ones  are  the  Eagle,  Arcade,  Orleans  and 
Western.  Free  ‘"Buses”  convey  passen- 
gers from  the  depot  to  any  of  them,  or, 
they  can  ride  past  them  all  on  the  street 
cars.  In  or  near  the  city  are  located 
four  flouring  mills,  six  iron  works,  two 
potteries,  smelting  works,  distilleries, 
plow  works,  planingmills,  and  many  other 
small  factories.  The  Capital  Woolen  Mills 
are  located  here,  and  consist  of  main  build- 
ing, 216  by  60  feet,  with  extention  40  by  60 
ft. ; total  number  of  spindles,  1,440 ; employ 
about  65  hands,  and  use  1,000  lbs.  of  wool 
daily. 

The  Johnson  & Brady  Wine  Co.  work 
up  400  tons  of  grapes  annually.  The  Sac- 
ramento Beet  Sugar  Factory  is  near  the 
cit^r — capacity,  from  80  to  100  tons  per  day ; 
main  building,  150  by  63  feet.  The  fac- 
tory grounds  produce  about  700  tons  of  beets 
annually.  The  company  employ,  when 
making  sugar,  200  whites  and  300  Chinese. 

The  principal  machine  shops  of  the 
Central  Pacific  railroad  are  situated,  as  we 
have  seen,  on  the  north  side  of  the  city,  and 
with  the  tracks,  yards,  etc.,  cover  about  20 
acres.  The  buildings  first  erected  are  of 
wood,  still  standing  and  in  use.  The  new 
buildings  are  of  brick,  comprising  a ma- 
chine, car,  paint  and  blacksmith  shops, 
round-house,  and  several  other  buildings. 
Nearly  all  the  cars  used  by  the  company 
are  manufactured  here.  It  is  a noted  fact 
that  the  cars  on  both  C.  P.  and  U.  P.  R.  R., 
are  far  superior  in  size,  style  and  finish  to 
those  on  the  majority  of  the  Eastern  roads, 
and  for  strength  and  completeness  of 
the  arrangements  for  comfort  in  riding, 
they  have  no  superior  on  any  road. 

The  hospital  belonging  to  the  Railroad 
Co.,  a large,  airy  and  comfortable  build- 
ing, is  located  near  the  shops,  where  their 
men  are  taken  care  of  when  sick  or  dis- 
abled. It  is  well  conducted,  a credit  to 
the  company,  and  of  incalculable  benefit  to 
those  unfortunates  who  are  obliged  to  seek 
its  shelter. 

As  for  the  mercantile  business,  let  a few 
“figures  talk” : 

During  the  year  1877  the  aggregate 
sales  of  all  kinds  of  merchandise  and 
manufactured  wares,  exclusive  of  local  in- 


AND  PACIFIC  COAST  GUIDE.  193 


terchange,  amounted  to  the  sum  of  $25,496,- 
269.  This  figure  represents  the  aggregate 
volume  of  outside  trade. 

The  city  is  laid  out  in  a regular  square, 
the  streets  running  at  right  angles  fronting 
on  the  Sacramento  Kiver,  which  here  runs 
nearly  north  and  south.  They  are  num- 
bered from  the  river,  1,  2,  3,  etc.  Those 
running  from  the  river  bank,  or  east  and 
west,  are  numbered  with  the  alphabet,  A, 
B,  C,  etc. 

There  is  a quiet  beauty,  peculiar  to  this 
city  alone,  which  renders  it  attractive  to  the 
most  careless  of  travelers.  Its  well-shaded 
streets;  its  beautiful  gardens,  blooming 
with  an  almost  tropical  luxuriance;  its 
vineyards  and  orchards,  all  combine  to 
form  a city  such  as  one  rarely  meets  with 
in  California,  and  nowhere  else. 

Sacramento  is  endeared  to  Californians — 
not  by  reason  of  her  present  beauty  and  pros- 
perity, but  because  she  is  truly  an  American 
city,  whose  people,  by  their  indomitable 
energy  and  perseverance,  have  raised 
this  monument  to  our  national  character, 
despite  the  ravages  of  fire  and  flood.  Not 
only  have  they  re-built  their  city,  but  they 
have  built  the  ground  on  which  it  stands, 
and  to-day  the  city  stands  some  ten  feet 
above  the  original  site  on  which  Sac- 
ramento was  first  established. 

From  the  small  and  unimportant  hamlet 
of  a few  years  ago,  it  has  emerged  into  a 
thriving,  bustling  city.  Fires  burned  the 
young  city  to  the  ground,  but  it  rose — 
Phoenix  like— more  beautiful  than  ever. 
The  floods  swept  over  it,  as  with  a besom 
of  destruction,  in  the  winters  of  ’51  and 
’52,  and  the  waters  were  rushing  with 
irresistible  force  through  every  stre  4. 
When  they  abated,  the  people  went  to  work 
and  built  levees  around  their  city,  aud 
fancied  themselves  secure.  Again  with 
the  floods,  in  the  winter  of  ’61  and  ’62, 
Sacramento  was  inundated.  To  guard 
against  a recurrence  of  these  evils,  the 
city  bed  was  raised  above  the  highest 
known  tide,  and  instead  of  wearing  away  a 
levee,  the  angry  waters  find  a solid  mass  of 
earth,  on  which  stands  the  city,  against 
which  their  efforts  at  destruction  are  futile. 
To  one  who  has  not  resided  on  this  coast, 
it  may  at  first  seem  strange  that  a city 
should  have  been  located  in  the  midst  of 
such  dangers.  When  Sacramento  was  laid 
out,  both  the  Sacramento  and  American 
rivers  had  bold  banks  above  the  reach  of 
any  floods.  But  when  the  thousands  of 
miners  commenced  tearing  down  the 


mountains  and  pouring  the  debris  into  the 
rivers,  the  sediment  gradually  filled  up  the 
river  bed  from  twelve  to  eighteen  feet  above 
its  former  level.  Consequently,  when  the 
spring  sun  unlocked  the  vast  volume  of 
water  confined  in  the  mountain  snows, 
and  sent  it  foaming  and  seething  in  its 
mad  power  to  the  plains,  the  old  and  half- 
filled  channel  could  not  contain  it,  and  a I 
large  body  of  country  was  annually  in- 
undated. Levees  were  tided  in  vain;  the 
mighty  torrent  would  not  be  confined; 
hence  the  necessity  of  raising  the  city 
above  its  ravages.  This  has  been  ac- 
complished ; and  beyond  the  present  line 
of  high  grade,  a powerful  levee  surrounds  i 
the  unfilled  portion  of  the  city,  on  which 
is  a railroad  track,  forming  an  iron  circle  or 
band,  which  no  past  floods  have  had  power 
to  break.  These  levees  are  guarded  and 
kept  in  repair  by  the  Railroed  Company. 

The  State  Capitol — For  a description 
of  this  building,  see  Annex,  No.  15. 


We  will  now  take  a run  over  the 

Oregon  Oiviision. 

CENTRAL  PACIFIC  RAILROAD. 

For  time  of  passenger  train  leaving 
Sacramento  see  schedule  in  Annex  No.  47. 

The  trains  run  over  the  Overland  track 
of  the  “Central  ” to  Roseville  Junction,  pass- 
ing all  stations — except  where  signaled — 
until  the  Junction  is  reached. 

Our  road  branches  off  to  the  left  just 
before  the  station  is  reached,  and  stops 
close  on  the  north  side  of  the  building, 
and  we  hear — “ All  aboard  for  Marysville, 
Chico  and  Oregon.”  We  suppose  the 
time  is  not  far  distant  (in  the  age  of 
nations)  when  passengers  will  hear,  on  ar- 
riving at  this  station:  “All  aboard  for 
Puget  Sound,  Hudson  Bay,  Alaska  and 
Behring  Straits;  close  connections  made 
with  the  Yankee  Tunnel  Company,  under 
Behring  Straits  for  all  points  in  Russia, 
China,  Japan,  Germany,  England,  France, 
and  the  Holy  Land ! ” 

Leaving  the  Junction,  our  course  is 
north ; we  are  whirled  along  over  a fine 
road-bed,  in  and  out  among  the  foot-hills,  | 
with  rapid  and  ever-changing  scenery  on  | 
either  hand,  through  groves  of  huge  old  i 
oaks,  with  large  herds  of  sheep  grazing 
about  them,  for  six  miles  to 
Whitney — a signal  station  in  the  midst 
of  sheep  ranches — cross  Auburn  Ravine, 
and  after  a run  of  4.5  miles,  come  to 
Lincoln,  which  is  a village  of  about 


104  ckofutt’s  new  overland  tourist 


300  inhabitants.  Just  above  the  station, 
on  the  right,  are  located  extensive  works 
for  making  sewer  pipes,  and  pottery; 
half  a mile  further,  on  the  same  side,  is  a 
new  coal  mine,  recently  discovered.  A 
little  further  a turkey  ranche,  and  then,  a 
real  old-fashioned  Vermont  farm,  only 
there  is  a great  uniformity  in  the  size  of 
the  rocks. 

Ewino — comes  next,  a signal  station, 
4.1  miles  from  Lincoln,  where  we  cross 
Coon  Creeli  and  find  the  land  improving, 
for  3.5  miles,  when  we  come  to 

Sheridan — This  place  contains  about 
20  buildings,  situated  on  an  open  plain 
where  most  of  the  land  is  used  for  grazing 
purposes.  We  now  cross  Bear  River, 
which  has  broad  bottoms,  much  of  which 
is  covered  with  sand,  and  the  washings 
from  the  mines  above  towards  Grass  Val- 
ley. Here  we  get  a good  view  of  the 
“Buttes,”  directly  ahead.  After  passing 
over  2.3  miles  from  Sheridan,  we  are  at 

Wheatland — a place  very  properly 
named,  as  it  is  situated  in  one  great  wheat 
field,  with  several  fine^buildings,  a fiouring 
mill,  a weekly  newspaper — the  Recorder — 
and  an  enterprising  population  of  farmers, 
600  or  more. 

Continuing  along,  through  a fine  country 
2.6  miles,  we  come  to 

Reed’s — a signal  station  of  a half-dozen 
buildings.  On  we  go,  through  broad,  rich 
bottom-land,  many  miles  in  width,  4.7 
miles  to 

Yuba — another  signal  station  on  the 
south  bank  of  the  Yuba  River.  Here  we 
cross  a dyke,  which  extends  up  and  down 
the  river,  as  far  as  you  can  see,  thrown  up 
to  keep  the  river  from  overflowing  its 
banks,  to  the  damage  of  the  surrounding 
country.  The  river  bottom  there  is  a mile 
in  width,  covered  with  oaks  and  willows, 
across  which  the  road  is  built  on  high  tres- 
tles. Crossing  over,  we  find  another  high 
dyke  on  the  opposite  side,  which  we  cross, 
and  1.9  miles  from  Yuba  signal  station, 
stop  at  the  old  city  of 

Marysville — one  of  the  prettiest  towns 
in  the  State.  It  is  the  county  seat  ot  Yuba 
county,  situated  on  the  north  bank  of  the 
Yuba  River,  with  a population  of  about 
5,000.  It  was  first  settled  in  1849,  and 
named  in  honor  of  the  only  white  woman 
within  its  limits,  Mrs.  Mary  Covilland. 
The  town  is  built  of  brick,  the  streets  wide, 
and  laid  out  at  right  angles.  The  chief 
beauty  of  Marysville  consists  in  the  shrub- 
1 bery  which  ornaments  the  town,  though 


there  are  many  elegant  public  buildings 
and  private  residences  in  the  city.  Scarcely 
will  you  find  a dwelling  that  is  not  sur- 
rounded with  a forest  of  fruit  trees,  includ- 
ing orange  and  shade  trees,  or  embowered 
in  a mass  of  vines  and  flowers.  The  city 
is  on  a level  plain,  twelve  miles  from  the 
foot-hills,  and  protected  from  the  spring 
floods  of  the  Yuba  by  a dyke  or  high  em- 
bankment. ^ The  streets  are  broad  and 
regularly  laid  out.  The  city  supports  one 
daily  paper — the  Appeal — has  several  good 
hotels,  chief  of  which  are  the  United  States 
and  Western.  There  are  two  seminaries, 
four  public,  and  numerous  private  schools ; 
also  five  churches,  nearly  all  denominations 
being  represented.  The  city  is  lighted 
with  gas,  and  supplied  with  water  from  an 
artesian  well  300  feet  deep,  from  which  it 
is  elevated  by  steam  power  to  a reservoir, 
and  thence  conducted  all  over  the  city.  It 
has  quite  a number  of  manufactories,  in- 
cluding an  iron  foundry  and  machine 
shop,  where  are  maufactured  all  kinds  of 
mill  machinery,  stationary  engines,  &c. 
Agriculture  is  now  the  principal  source  of 
wealth  of  the  country.  Fruit  culture  and 
stock-raisiug  are  very  remunerative. 

Saw-mills  are  numerous  in  the  county, 
as  immense  quantities  of  lumber  are  ship- 
ped from  Marysville.  The  greater  portion 
of  the  mining  is  now  done  by  the  hydraulic 
process.  There  are  15  quartz  mills  in  the 
county,  and  36  companies  owning  canals 
or  mining  ditches,  one  of  which  cost 
$500,000,  and  with  its  branches  is  over  150 
miles  long. 

There  are  regular  stage  lines  from  Marys- 
ville to  Colusa,  29  miles  west ; Downieville, 
67  miles  northeast;  North  San  Juan,  38 
miles ; Grass  Valley,  35  miles : La  Porte,  65 
miles  from  Marysville. 

The  Northern  Calitornia.  R R. 

This  road  branches  ofl* for  Oroville,  north, 
and  runs  to  the  eastward  of  Feather  River, 
through  Honcut,  a small  place,  and  arrives 
at  Oroville,after  a run  of  26  miles.  This  town 
has  a population  of  about  1,500,  and  is  the 
county  seat  of  Butte  county.  It  is  an  old 
mining  town,  principally  placer  mines, 
which  were  at  one  time  very  rich,  and  in 
some  places  now  are  worked  to  advantage. 
The  Chinese  are  very  thick  in  the  old  pla- 
cer region,  and  work  these  old  diggings 
over  and  over  again.  The  town  is  em- 
bowered in  fruit  and  shade  trees,  beautiful 
gardens  and  orchards. 

This  county  possesses  some  of  the  finest 


! 

AND  PACIFIC  COAST  GUIDE. 


BLOOMER  CUT. 

85  feet  deep  and  800  feet  long.  See  page  191. 


agricultural  land  in  the  State.  All  kinds 
of  grain  and  produce  are  raised  in  abund- 
ance. The  vineyards  are  numerous,  pro- 
ducing large  quantities  of  wine  and  brandy 
annually.  Rasins  are  produced  in  large 
quantities,  and  an  immense  amount  of  pea- 
nuts are  gathered  for  market  every  year. 
Stock-raising  is  also  an  important  feature. 
Wool  is  a staple  export  of  the  county. 
Schools  and  churches  are  in  a flourishing 
condition — a sure  evidence  of  a people’s 
prosperity.  Stages  leave  Oroville  regularly 
for  La  Porte,  52  miles;  Susanville,  105 
miles ; as  well  as  to  most  of  the  adjoining 
towns. 

Returning  to  Marysville,  we  will  now 
i take  a run  to 

!'  Yuba  City — situated  about  one  mile 
1 west  of  Marysville,  containing  a population 
I of  about  1,000,  and  located  on  the  eastern 
j bank  of  the  Feather  River,  just  above  its 
junction  with  the  Yuba.  It  is  the  county 
seat  of  Sutter  county— first  settled  in  1849. 
The  county  was  named  after  General  Sut- 


ter, the  old  pioneer,  at  whose  mill  race  at 
Coloma,  El  Dorado  county,  on  the  south 
fork  of  the  American  River,  January  19th, 
1848,  the  first  gold  was  discovered  in  Cali- 
fornia. The  county  has  a population  of 
about  6,000,  mostly  engaged  in  agriculture. 
The  soil  is  very  fertile,  and  produces  large 
crops  of  wheat,  oats,  and  barley ; there  are 
also  some  very  fine  vineyards,  producing  a 
superior  quality  of  fruit,  from  which  many 
thousand  gallons  of  wine  and  brandy  are 
made  annually. 

The  city  has  one  newspaper — the  Sutter 
Banner — and  several  hotels.  It  is  at  the 
head  of  steamboat  navigation,  and  is  con- 
nected with  San  Francisco  and  the  world 
by  the  road  over  which  we  came — the 
Oregon  division  of  the  C.  P.,  via.  Marys- 
ville, between  which  cities  a hack  runs 
regularly. 

The  “ Buttes  ” — called  the  “Marysville 
Buttes,”  are  a noted  land-mark  to  the 
westward,  about  ten  miles.  The^^  consist 
of  a series  of  peaks  that  rise  from  the 


196 


CROFUTT  S NEW  OVERLAND  TOURIST 


crest  of  an  isolated  mountain  range,  which 
stands  hold  and  clear  among  the  plains, 
1,000  feet  in  height.  From  appearances, 
one  would  he  led  to  suppose  that  this 
ridge  crossed  the  valley  at  one  time,  when 
this  was  an  inland  sea;  and  when  the 

I waters  escaped  from  the  lower  valley, 
those  confined  above  cut  a portion  of  the 
ridge  down  level  with  the  plain,  and 
escaping,  left  a beautiful  valley  above. 

From  the  summits  of  their  bald  peaks  a 
fine  view  can  be  had  of  a great  portion  of 
the  Sacramento  Yalley,  including  Mount 
Shasta,  away  to  the  northward,  220 
miles  distant,  in  latitude  41  deg.  30  min., 
an  isolated  and  lofty  volcanic  mountain, 
over  14,440  feet  high.  It  is  covered  with 
perpetual  snow,  and  is  the  head  and  source 
of  the  Sacramento  River.  (See  Annex 
No.  43.)  To  the  northwest,  in  the  Coast 
Range  of  mountains,  can  be  distinctly 
seen  Mts.  Linn,  St.  John  and  Ripley. 

! On  the  south,  Mt.  Diablo,  in  the  Contra 
Costa  range,  while  on  the  east,  from  north 
to  south,  is  the  long  range  of  the  Sierra 
Nevadas,  as  far  as  the  eye  can  reach. 

Returning  to  Marysville,  we  again  start 
on  our  journey.  One  mile  north  of  the 
city  we  cross  the  track  of  the  Oroville  rail- 
road, pass  several  cemeteries  on  the  right, 
also  a race  track ; then,  bear  away  to  the 
left — northwest  — and  cross  the  Feather 
River  on  a long  trestle  bridge.  Along  this 
river,  live  oaks  and  sycamore  trees  abound 
by  the  million. 

Lomo — a fiag  station,  comes  first  from 
Marysville,  6.8  miles.  Here  are  wheat 
lands  which  continue,  with  an  occasional 
clump  of  trees,  3.9  miles,  to 

Live  Oak — another  side  track,  in  the 
centre  of  some  thousands  of  acres  of  young 
live  oaks,  and  manzanita  shrubs.  Passing 
along  with  the  broad  valley  of  the  Sacra- 
mento on  the  left,  which  stretches  away  as 
far  as  the  eye  can  reach,  and  the  Feather 
River  Valley  on  the  right,  beyond  which  are 
the  lofty  Sierras,  we  reach 

Gridley — which  is  6.5  miles  further 
north.  This  station  has  several  hotels  and 
stores,  a dozen  residences,  and  a large  grain 
warehouse,  and  one  flouring  mill,  as,  be  it 
remembered,  we  are  now  in  one  of  the 
great  wheat  sections  of  the  State.  The 
station  was  named  for  a Mr.  Gridley — 
maybe  it’s  “Old  Bob  Gridley”  — who 
knows  ? — who  owns  somewhere  about 
35,000  acres  of  land  adjoining  the  station, 
much  of  which  he  has  worked  by  farmers 
on  a division  of  crops.  Live  oaks,  big  ones 


are  numerous  all  the  way  for  3.4  miles  to 

Biggs — This  is  a lively  town  of  about 
1,200  population,  in  the  midst  of  fine  wheat 
lands,  with  extensive  warehouses  for  stor- 
ing and  handling  wheat  in  nearly  all 
seasons.  This  cereal  is  a large  and  sure 
crop.  Biggs  has  a weekly  paper— the 
several  hotels,  chief  of  which  is 
the  Planters,  and  a stage  line  to  Oroville, 
twelve  miles  east ; fare,  $1.00. 

The  place  was  named  fora  Mr.  Biggs, 
who,  like  the  Mr.  Gridley,  is  troubled  with 
about  30,000  acres  of  this  wheat  land,  much 
of  which  yields,  when  properly  farmed, 
50  bushels  to  the  acre.  Leaving  Biggs  we 
cross  the  big  canal  of  the  Cherokee  Com- 
pany, which  is  18  miles  long  and  400 
feet  wide ; the  water  is  used  for  hydraulic 
mining,  and  then  for  irrigating  purposes. 

After  a run  of  ten  miles,  all  the  way 
through  wheat  fields,  we  reach 

Nelson — composed  of  about  a dozen 
buildings,  surrounded  with  wheat,  wheat, 
all  wheat.  These  fields  extend  far  away 
in  every  direction. 

Passing  along,  we  cross  Butte  Creek, 
and  6.6  miles  from  Nelson,  come  to 

Dunham — Here  is  about  a dozen  build- 
ings, in  the  midst  of  a broad  plain  studded 
with  occasional  oaks.  A flouring  mill  and 
large  warehouses  are  near  the  station. 
Continuing  on  6.1  miles,  and  we  stop  at 
the  beautiful  town  of 

Chico — It  is  43  miles  from  Marysville,  25 
miles  northwest  from  Oroville,  and  five 
miles  east  of  the  Sacramento  River,  situated 
in  the  Chico  Yalley,  Butte  county,  in  the 
midst  of  as  rich  a farming  section  as  the 
State  affords ; population  5,000.  The  city 
is  lighted  with  gas,  has  ample  water- works 
situated  near  the  depot,  and  has  several 
banks  and  hotels,  chief  of  which  are  the 
Chico  House  and  the  Union;  one  daily  pa- 
per, the  Record^  and  one  weekly,  the  En- 
terprise. To  the  eastward  looms  up  the 
Sierra  Nevada  Mountains,  covered  with  a 
dense  forest  of  timber,  in  which  are  many 
sawmills,  the  lumber  from  which  is  floated 
down  to  within  three  miles  of  the  city,  in 
a “ Y ” flume,  35  miles  in  length.  The 
streets  are  lined  with  shade  trees,  groves  of 
oaks,  and  orchards  and  gardens  are  on 
every  hand.  Near  the  town.  General  Bid- 
well,  the  old  pioneer,  has  an  extensive 
ranche — or  farm,  as  it  would  be  called  in 
the  Eastern  States — which  is  in  a very 
high  state  of  cultivation,  producing  abun- 
dantly all  kinds  of  fruits  and  plants  of 
the  temperate  and  semi-tropical  climes. 


AND  PACIFIC  COAST  GUIDE.  197 


Stage  routes  from  Chico  are  numerous. 
Six-horse  coaches,  in  summer,  leave  for 
I Oroviile,  25  miles;  Butteville,  Plumas 
Co.,  63  miles;  fare,  10  cents  per  mile. 
Stages  leave  for  Diamondville,  eleven 
miles;  Butte  Creek,  12  miles;  and  Hell- 
town,  14  miles ; also,  for  Dayton,  six  miles ; 
Jacinto,  14  miles;  Germantown,  13  miles; 
Willows,  56  miles ; Colusa,  40  miles ; Wil- 
liams, 49  miles ; Allen,  55  miles ; and  Bart- 
lette  Springs,  58  miles.  Stages  run  Mon- 
days, Wednesdays  and  Fridays,  to  St.John, 
ten  miles;  Orland,  23  miles;  Olimpo,  30 
miles;  Coast  Range,  35  miles;  Newville, 
40  miles.  The  average  fare  to  all  these 
i places  is  ten  cents  per  mile. 

Leaving  Chico,  our  course  is  more  west- 
ward for  seven  miles  to 

Nord — a small  station  about  three  miles 
east  of  the  Sacramento  River.  Next  comes 
a side-track,  2.3  miles  further,  called 

Anita — and  2.4  miles  further 

Cana — This  place  has  a population  of 
about  100,  most  of  whom  are  farmers,  as 
wheat  fields  are  still  the  rule.  On,  2.8 
miles  further  comes 

Soto — near  Deer  Creek,  and  4.3  miles 
from 

Vina — a small  station  near  the  Sacra- 
mento River,  in  the  center  of  a very  fertile 
region  and  a great  point  for  grain  ship- 
ments. 

Continuing  on  7.5  miles  further,  crossing 
several  small  creeks,  passing  some  oaks  and 
willows  along  the  creeks,  we  come  to 

Sesma — a side-track,  on  the  east  bank  of 
Sacramento  River,  which  we  cross,  and 
stop  at 

Tehama — on  the  west  bank  of  Sacra- 
mento River,  where  boats  often  land,  being 
a thriving  town  of  about  700  population. 
The  Tocsin  heralds  the  news  daily  in  clar- 
ion tones,  that  all  may  learn  that  Tehama 
has  a live  daily  newspaper.  The  place 
was,  in  early  days,  known  as  “Hall  Cross- 
ing.” Agriculture  is  the  principal  feature 
of  the  place,  although  the  lumber  business 
is  an  important  item.  A “ V ” flume  brings 
the  lumber  down  from  the  mills  in  theSierras 
on  the  northeast,  a distance  of  forty  miles, 
with  a capacity  of  40,000  feet  per  day.  The 
country  is  very  fertile.  Live  oaks  are 
numerous. 

Lassen’s  Peak,  to  the  northeast,  is  a prom- 
inent feature  of  the  landscape,  as  it  rises 
10,578  feet  above  sea  level,  which  would  be 
about  10,000  feet  higher  than  Tehama. 
Continuing  along  12.1  miles  further,  cross- 
ing several  small  creeks,  we  come  to 


Red  Bluffs — the  county  seat  of  Tehama 
county,  at  the  head  of  navigation  on  the 
Sacramento  River,  with  a population  of 
about  2,000.  It  is  situated  in  the  midst  of 
rich  agricultural  and  grazing  land,  with 
many  thriving  vineyards  and  several  hotels, 
chief  of  which  are  the  Tremont  and  Red 
Blufis  Hotel ; also  two  weekly  newspapers, 
the  Sentinel  and  the  People’’ s Cause.  Lum- 
ber is  an  important  industry,  and  the  man- 
ufacture of  doors,  sash  and  blinds  is  carried  i 
on  to  a great  extent.  M't.  Shasta,  to  the 
north,  is  a prominent  object,  rising  up  out 
of  the  valley. 

Continuing  along,  crossing  several  little 
creeks,  bearing  away  more  to  the  westward, 
10.3  miles,  we  come  to 
Hooker — a signal  station,  4.9  miles 
from 

Buckeye — another  signal  station,  lo- 
cated 1.8  miles  from 
Cottonwood— This  is  a small  village  in 
Shasta  county,  of  about  300  population, 
situated  on  Cottonwood  Creek,  about  five 
miles  west  of  the  Sacramento  River. 

Turning  more  to  the  northeast,  a short 
run  of  7.6  miles  brings  us  to 
Anderson’s — a village  of  about  200  pop- 
ulation, 6.3  miles  from 
Clear  Creek — a small  station  on  a 
creek  of  that  name,  which  comes  in  from  ! 
the  west,  and  after  4.8  miles  further,  we  | 
come  to  the  end  of  the  road  at  j 

Redding — This  place  was  named  for  the  ; 
land  commissioner  of  the  railroad  com- 
pany. This  is  the  terminus  of  the  road, 
having  a population  of  about  500. 

^ Redding  is  308  miles  north  of  San  Fran- 
cisco, 275  miles  south  of  Roseburg , Oregon, 
and  475  miles  from  Portland. 

Stages  leave  Redding  daily,  with  passen- 
ger, mails  and  express,  for  Roseburg,  and 
all  intermediate  places,  distance  275  miles. 
At  Roseburg  connections  are  made  with 
the  Oregon  & California  railroad,  for  Port- 
land, 200  miles  further.  Fare  to  Roseburg 
from  Redding,  $41.25. 

This  region  is  fertile  in  subject  matter 
for  our  book,  but  we  are  limited  as  to  space, 
and  with  this  hasty  glance  at  the  most  im- 
portant features  of  the  country,  now  re- 
turn to  the  city  of  Sacramento,  and  again 
start  out  on  another  route. 


Up  the  l^acramento  Kiver* 

Stepping  on  board  a light  draft  steam- 
boat, at  the  wharf  in  Sacramento,  we  are 
off  for  a trip  by  water. 


crofutt’s  new  overland  tourist 


^ About  the  first  thing  to  attract  the  atten- 
tion of  the  traveler  after  leaving  the  citv. 
will  be  the  ^ 

“ Tuiles,”  which  is  the  native  name 
given  to  the  rushes  which  cover  the  low 
lands  and  bays  of  California.  They  are  of 
the  bulrush  family,  probably  the  father  of 
all  rushes.  They  grow  from  six  to  ten 
feet  high,  and  so  thick  on  the  ground  that 
it  is  extremely  difficult  to  pass  among 
them.  The  lands  on  which  they  grow  are 
subject  to  annual  overflows.  During  the 
prevalence  of  the  floods,  miles  and  miles  of 
these  lands  are  under  water,  presenting  the 
appearance  of  one  vast  lake  or  inland  sea. 
In  the  fall  ancT  early  winter,  when  the 
tuiles  are  dry,  they  are  often  set  on  fire, 
forming  a grand  and  terrible  spectacle,  es- 
pecially during  the  night.  When  once  the 
fire  attains  headway,  nothing  can  quench 
its  fury  until  the  tuiles  are  swept  away  to 
the  bank  of  some  watercourse,  which  bars 
its  further  progress. 

The  soil  composing  the  land  is  adobe,  of 
a purely  vegetable  mold.  Wherever  it 
has  been  reclaimed,  it  produces  grain  and 
vegetables  in  almost  fabulous  quantities. 

It  is  claimed  by  many,  that,  with  proper 
appliances,  these  lands  could  be  converted 
into  magnificent  rice  fields ; the  advocates 
of  this  measure  asserting  that  they  possess 
every  requisite  of  soil,  clime,  and  adapta- 
bility to  irrigation.  The  State  has  pro- 
vided for  a system  of  levees,  by  which  a 
large  amount  of  land,  heretofore  known  as 
tuile  land,  has  been  successfully  reclaimed, 
and  is  now  counted  the  most  valuable  in 
the  State. 

; The  country,  after  leaving  Sacramento, 
IS  level  for  a vast  distance  on  either  hand ; 
the  “tuiles  ” are  disappearing,  and,  before 
we  reach  Knight’s  Landing,  the  left-hand 
shore  is  more  bold,  and  the  wheat-fields 
and  gardens  have  taken  the  place  of  “tuiles” 
along  the  river  bank. 

We  have  already  been  to  Marysville  by 
railroad,  now  let  us  go  via  Feather  River, 
a beautiful  stream,  its  clear  waters  contrast- 
ing advantageously  with  the  muddy  waters 
of  the  river  we  have  left.  We  pass  through 
a^  fine  country  with  wheat  farms  on  the 
higher  lands,  and  reach  Nicholas,  a dull, 
quiet  town  of  about  300  inhabitants,  situa- 
ted at  the  junction  of  Bear  River  with  the 
Feather.  Proceeding  up  the  Feather,  we 
pass  HOCK  FARM,  the  home  of  the  venerable 
jiioneer  of  California,  General  Sutter.  It 
is  a lovely  place — the  old  farm-house  and 
iron  fort  standing  on  the  bank  of  the 


stream.  Enormous  fig  trees  line  the  bank 
while  behind  them  can  be  seen  the  fine 
orchards  and  vineyards  planted  by  the 
General  nearly  50  years  ago.  General 
Sutter  settled  in  California  under  a grant 
from  the  Russian  Government,  which  con- 
veyed to  him  lar^e  tracts  of  land  around 
Sacramento  City,  including  the  city  site* 
also  a large  tract,  of  which  Hock  Farm  is 
a part.  Sharpers  and  swindlers  deprived 
the  old  pioneer  of  most  of  his  property, 
leaving  him  penniless,  and  a pensioner  on 
the  State. 

Passing  on  by  the  junction  of  the  Yuba 
and  Feather  rivers,  we  soon  reach  Yuba 
near  Marysville,  65  miles  from  Sacramento, 
by  water.  (See  description  on  page  194) 
Returning  to  the  Sacramento,  the  right- 
hand  bank  of  the  river  appears  low  and 
swampy, covered  with  “tuiles”  for  a great 
distance  inland.  Passing  on,  we  soon  ar- 
rive at 

Knight’S  Landing— a small  place— 46 
miles  from  Sacramento.  Population  about 
200.  It  is  quite  a shipping  point  for  Yolo 
county,  and  is  on  the  line  of  the  California 
Pacific  railroad.  This  road,  in  1873-4,  ex- 
tended to  Marysville,  crossing  the  river  at 
this  point,  but  the  floods  washed  away  the 
road-bed  on  the  east  side  of  the  river.  The 
road  passed  into  the  hands  of  the  “ Central” 
Company,  that  had  a road  to  Marysville 
via  the  Roseville  J unction.  So  it  never  was 
repaired,  but  the  bridge  turned  to  allow  a 
free  passage  of  the  river  boats,  and  has 
been  so,  for  the  last  four  years,  and  probably 
will  so  remain  until  it  rots  down. 

For  a long  distance  above  Knight’s 
Landing,  the  low  marshy  plains  continue 
on  our  right,  the  higher  land  covered  with 
wheat  on  our  left,  with  no  towns  of  any 
importance  to  note  until  we  arrive  at 

Colusa — This  is  a point  of  considerable 
trade — 125  miles  from  Sacramento.  It  is 
the  county  seat  of  Colusa  county,  situated 
on  the  west  bank  of  the  Sacramento  River, 
and  contains  about  1 , 500  inhabitants.  The 
Colusa  JSun  is  published  here. 

The  town  was  laid  out  in  1850,  by  Col- 
onel Semple,  the  owner  of  the  “Colusa 
Grant  ” — containing  two  Spanish  leagues. 
It  is  now  the  center  of  a very  large  farming 
and  grazing  country.  Schools  and  churches 
are  well  represented.  Stages  run  daily  be- 
tween Colusa  and  Marysville— 29  miles; 
also  to  Williams,  nine  miles  west. 

Passing  on  up  the  river,  tlie  country 
seems  to  gradually  change  to  a grazing. 


AISTD  PACIFIC  COAST  GUIDE. 


instead  of  a grain  country,  more  especially 
on  the  west. 

About  200  miles  further  and  we  reach  the 
Landing  of  Chico — but  we  have  already 
described  the  town  on  page  196,  so  we  will 
pass  on.  On  the  right-hand  side,  the  shores 
are  low  and  sedgy  most  of  the  way,  fit  only 
for  grazing  when  the  floods  have  subsided ; 
yet  we  pass  intervals  of  grain  fields  till  we 
arrive  at  Ked  Bluffs — 270  miles  from  Sac- 
ramento, at  the  head  of  navigation.  See 
description  of  the  town  on  page  197. 

We  will  now  return  to  the  city  of  Sac- 
ramento, and  there  take  another  route. 

Down  the  Hacramento  River. 

Stepping  on  board  of  a large  passenger 
and  freight  boat,  we  start  down  the  river 
towards  San  Francisco.  The  plains  stretch 
away  on  either  hand,  and  there  is  little  to 
be  seen  except  the  gardens  and  farms  along 
the  banks  on  the  higher  ground,  the  wide 
waste  of  “tuiles,”  and  the  plains  and  moun- 
tains beyond.  On  the  left — away  in  the 
dim  distance,  the  hills  succeed  the  plains, 
the  mountains  the  hills,  until  the  vast  pile 
towers  among  the  clouds. 

Winding  around  curves,  where  the  stern 
of  the  boat  is  swept  by  the  willows  on  the 
shore,  we  glide  down  the  river,  past 
sloughs,  creeks,  and  tuile  swamps,  until  we 
pass  Freeport,  12  miles  from  the  city,  a 
little  hamlet  of  half  a dozen  dwellings. 

Floating  along  between  the  low  banks, 
covered  with  willow  and  shrub,  we  pass 
Mississippi  Bend— 24  miles  from  Sac- 
ramento. Here  the  river  makes  one  of  its 
numerous  curves,  almost  doubling  back  on 
itself. 

To  the  left  is  the  little  town  of  Bich- 
UAND,  containing  a half-dozen  dwellings. 
Now  the  Nevada  Mountains  fall  behind, 
and  we  have  one  vast  plain  around  us. 
We  pass  the  outlet  of  Sutter’s  Slough,  and 
then  the  Hog’s  Back — a long  sand-bar, 
which  stretches  diagonally  across  the 
river.  The  water  here  is  very  shoal.  A 
wing  dam  has  been  built  from  the  western 
shore,  half  way  across  the  channel,  which 
throws  the  water  into  a narrow  compass, 
giving  greater  depth  to  the  bar.  Next 
comes  Cache  Creek  Slough,  on  which  large 
quantities  of  grain  are  shipped  to  San 
Francisco  via  Sacramento  River,  from  Yolo 
and  Solano  counties.  Now  we  are  passing 
along  by  the  Rio  Vista  hills,  which  come 
close  to  the  water’s  edge  on  the  right-hand 
shore.  These  hills  are  the  first  we  have  seen 
near  the  river  since  leaving  the  city.  They 


199 


consist  of  one  long,  low  ridge,  broken  into 
hillocks  on  its  crest.  These  hills  are  ex- 
cellent wheat  land,  yielding  an  abundant 
harvest.  The  land  is  very  valuable,  though 
but  a few  years  have  passed  since  it  was 
sold  for  25  cents  per  acre.  The  town  of 
Rio  Vista  is  situated  on  the  slope  of  the 
foot-hills,  and  contains  about  300  in- 
habitants. Formerly  the  town  stood 
on  the  low  ground,  near  the  river  bank, 
but  the  flood  of  ’62  washed  it  away,  car- 
rying from  40  to  60  houses  down  the  river. 
The  people  fled  to  the  high  lands,  where 
they  remained  until  the  passing  steamers 
took  them  away.  For  days  the  little 
steamer  Rescue  was  plying  up  and  down 
the  river,  running  far  out  over  the  sub- 
merged plains,  picking  up  the  “stragglers,” 
who  were  surrounded  by  the  waters.  Some 
were  found  on  the  house-roofs,  with  the 
flood  far  up  the  sides  of  their  dwell- 
ings, and  others  were  rescued  from  the 
branches  of  trees,  which  afibrded  them 
the  only  resting-place  above  the  waters. 
The  flood  of  ’62  will  long  be  re- 
membered by  those  who  then  dwelt  on  the 
banks  of  the  Sacramento. 

We  next  pass  Collingsville,  a long 
wharf  on  the  right-hand  side  of  the  river, 
with  a house  or  two  standing  close  by.  It 
is  a point  of  shipment  of  considerable 
freight,  for  the  country,  and  grain  for  the 
city.  A little  below  this  point,  the  San 
Joaquin  River  unites  with  the  Sacramento, 
entering  from  the  left,  forming  Suisun 
Bay  (pronounced  Soo-e-soon). 

Antioch— just  across  the  bay — is  in 
Contra  Costa  county;  population,  500. 
Three  miles  south,  by  railroad,  are  the 
Mount  Diablo  coal  mines,  which  yield 
large  quantities  of  coal. 

4 here  are  several  manufactories  of  pot- 
tery in  the  town— the  clay  in  the  vicinity 
being  a very  superior  article.  The  Ledger^ 
a weekly  paper,  is  published  here.  Atten- 
tion has  lately  been  attracted  to  the  silk 
culture,  and  many  thousand  mulberry  trees 
have  been  planted. 

Passing  on  down  the  bay,  we  enter  the 
Straits  of  Carquinez,  when  a long,  low 
wharf  on  the  right  attracts  our  attention. 
It  is  fronting  the  town  of 

Benicia — formerly  the  capital  of  the 
State,  at  the  head  of  ship  navigation,  and 
contains  about  2,000  inhabitants.  It  is  a 
charming,  quiet,  rambling  old  town,  with 
little  of  the  noise  and  bustle  of  the  busy 
seaport.  The  Neio  Era,  a weekly  paper,  is 
published  here. 


200 


ckofutt’s  new  overland  tourist 


The  United  States  arsenals  and  barracks 
are  located  near  the  town,  forming  an  in- 
teresting feature  to  the  visitor.  Benicia  is 
justly  celebrated  for  her  excellent  schools, 
public  and  private.  The  only  law  school 
in  the  State  is  located  here,  and  also  a 
young  ladies’  high  school,  or  seminary.  It 
is  connected  by  steamers  with  Suisun, 
Sacramento,  Stockton,  and  San  Francisco; 
by  stage  with  Vallejo,  seven  miles  west, 
over  the  rolling  hills ; and  by  hourly  ferry 
— two  miles  distant,  across  the  Straits — 
with 

Martinez— the  county  seat  of  Contra 
Costa  county,  a small  town  of  about  600 
inhabitants.  The  county  is  principally  de- 
voted to  agriculture  and  vine  culture,  the 
vineyards  being  numerous,  producing  over 
70,000  gallons  of  wine  per  annum.  The 
Alhambra  Ranche,  two  miles  from  town, 
owned  by  Dr.  Strenzel,  is  thought  to  be  the 
best  for  its  size  in  the  State.  It  contains 
8,500  grape  vines,  and  5,000  fruit  trees.  Its 
proprietor  has  been  awarded  a large  num- 
ber of  medals  and  prizes  for  the  ''best  cul- 
tivated farm,'''  the  “ best  fruit,"  and  the 
"best  native  wine  in  G aliforiiia" 

Passing  on  down  the  straits,  we  have  a 
fine  view  of  Vallejo,  which  lies  to  our 
right,  near  where  we  enter  San  Pablo  Bay. 
Turning  to  the  left,  23  miles  more  brings 
us  to  San  Francisco. 

But  we  must  return  again  to  Sacramento, 
and  this  time  will  take  a seat  in  the  cars  of 
the  California  Pacific  railroad,  operated  by 
the  “Central,”  and  start  over  what  is 
known  as 

The  Vallejo  Route. 

Taking  our  seat  in  the  cars,  in  the  “Cen- 
tral ” depot,  the  train  crosses  the  bridge— 
600  feet  long— over  the  Sacramento  River, 
and  pass  through  the  town  of 
Washington  — on  the  west  bank,  a 
place  of  about  1,000  population,  then 
cross  the  “Tuiles”  — a broad  belt  of 
overfiowed  swamp  land  — on  an  em- 
bankment and  trestle  bridge,  raised  above 
the  annual  floods,  until  we  reach  the  high- 
lands, or  elevated  plains.  The  trestle 
bridge  affords  ample  passage  for  the  flood 
tides. 

From  Sacramento,  it  is  9.4  miles  to 
Swingle — a small  side-track  for  loading 
cattle,  near  by  which,  large  numbers  of 
cattle  are  kept  and  fed,  preparing  for 
market.  From  Swingle  it  is  3.86  miles  to 
Davis — the  junction  of  the  Marysville 
Branch,  where  the  road  passes  on  north  to 


Knight’s  Landing  and  Williams.  It  con- 
tains a population  of  about  600,  with  many 
fine  private  residences,  and  one  weekly 
newspaper,  the  Facts.  Davisville  is  in  the 
midst  of  a fine  wheat  country,  and  will 
lemain  a point  of  shipment  for  the  vast 
crops  annually  raised  in  that  vicinity. 
Turning  north — from  Davis — we  pass 
through  large  groves  of  live  oak,  and 
highly  cultivated  fields,  and  4.85  miles 
from  Davis,  come  to  a side-track  for  load 
ing  cattle,  called  Merrit — but  it  did  no 
have  merit  enough  for  our  train  to  stop 
so  we  passed  along  4.35  miles  to 
Woodland— the  county  seat  of  Yoh 
county,  situated  three  miles  west  of  Cache 
Creek,  in  the  midst  of  an  extensive  plain 
The  town  is  one  of  the  most  thriving 
in  the  State.  Population  about  3,000 
Yolo  county,  in  the  summer,  is  one  vast 
wheat-field — far,  almost  as  the  eye  cai 
reach,  the  waving  wheat  stretches  away  oj 
either  hand.  Huge  oaks  are  seen  in  ever; 
direction,  and  several  large  warehouses  fo 
wheat  appear.  The  principal  hotels  ar 
the  Craft,  and  the  Capital.  There  is  on 
daily  paper,  the  Mail;  and  the  Democrat, 
weekly.  Along  the  road  we  will  observe 
number  of  vineyards. 

Soon  after  leaving  Woodland,  on  th 
right  can  be  seen  the  race-track  where,  i 
certain  seasons,  some  good  time  is  mad( 
Again  on  the  left,  the  track  of  the  Nortl 
ern  railway  branches  off  for  William; 
Groves  of  oaks,  and  bands  of  sheep  ar 
numerous. 

Curtis- a side-track  is  passed,  5.25  mile 
fr.  ni  Woodland,  and  3.9  miles  more  bring 
us  to 

Knight’s  Landing — at  the  landing  ( 
which  we  stopped  on  our  way  “ up  th 
Sacramento.”  (See  description,  page  198 


Returning  to  Woodland,  we  take  the 
Northern  Railway. 

This  road  is  operated  by  the  “ Central,” 
and  passes  through  one  continuous  wheat 
field  for ^ the  whole  distance  from  Woodland 
to  Williams,  39  miles.  The  stations  and 
distances  are  Yolo,  4.91  miles;  Blacks, 
5.88  miles;  Dunnigan,  7.52  miles;  Har- 
rington, 5.04  miles;  Arbuckle,  5.17  miles; 
Berlin,  4.06  miles;  Macy,  .93  mile;  and 
5.73  miles  more  we  are  at  the  end  of  the 
track  at 

Williams— This  place  is  situated  in 
Colusa  county,  nine  miles  west  of  Colusa, 
and  the  Sacramento  River. 


MIRROR  LAKE  AND  REFLECTIONS 


RML&STAGE ROUTE 


202 


ckofutt’s  new  ovekland  tourist 


Hot  Sulphur  Springs  are  situated 
about  ten  miles  west  of  the  station  and 
have  been  quite  a noted  resort  for  invalids. 
Crude  sulphur  is  also  found  here  in  larsre 
quantities.  ° 


Colusa  county  productions  are  princi- 
pally wheat  and  barley.  In  1876,  there 
was  242,609  acres  in  wheat,  which  yielded 
4^00,000  bushels;  of  barley  there  was  34  - 
802  acres,  which  yielded  806,495  bushels.  ’ 


Returning  to  Davisville  Junction  we 
start  again  for  the  south,  through  as  beau- 
tit  ul  a farming  country  as  one  could  wish 
to  see. 


Just  after  crossing  Putah  Creek  we  come 
to  the  great  vineyard  belonging  to  a Mr. 
Briggs.  It  contains  500  acres,  the  greater 
portion  of  which  is  devoted  to  raisin 
grapes,  the  balance  is  in  almonds,  fig's 
apricots  and  other  fruits.  ’ 

Fremont— is  the  first  station  on  tlie 
bills,  3.79  miles  from  Davis,  but  here  trains 
seldom  stop. 

^ Dixon — is  4.26  miles  from  Fremont,  and 
is  quite  a thrifty  town,  situated  in  the 
midst  of  a fine  agricultural  section  of  So- 
lano county.  It  has  several  hotels,  a num- 
ber of  stores  and  one  weekly  paper— the 
Irihune.  Passing  on,  3.3  miles  further, 
Batavia— appears;  a side-track,  and 
shipping  point  for  grain.  The  country  is 
broad  and  mostly  under  cultivation. 

Elmira— is  4.84  miles  further;  popula- 
tion about  300,  most  of  whom  are  agricul- 
tj^rahsts.  Wheat  fields  continue.  Here 
the  Yaca  Valley  railroad  branches  oft’  to 
the  north,  through  Yolo,  the  great  wheat 
, country,  17  miles  to  Winters. 

j Caiwon  is  a ftag  station,  4.04  miles 
I from  Elmira,  and  6.47  miles  from 

Fairfield — This  town  is  the  county 
seat  of  Solano  county,  situated  on  a broad 
plain,  with  a population  of  1,000  and 
rapidly  increasing.  Small  schooners  come 
up  the  slough  from  the  Sacramento  River 
and  a rail-track  is  completed,  south,  to 
Benecia,  17  miles,  where  it  is  proposed  to 
cross  the  river,  by  ferry,  until  a bridge  can 
be  built,  and  connect  with  the  railroad 
Irom  Oakland  to  Martinez— which  is  now 
completed.  When  this  new  line  is  opened 
it  vdll  be  only  88  miles  from  Sacramento 
to  San  Francisco — with  no  grades — a sav- 
ing over  the  Livermore  Pass  route  of  52 
miles,  and  only  two  miles  longer  than  by 
the  Vallejo  route,  26  miles  of  which  is  by 


steamboat.  Prom  Fairfield,  it  is  5 38 
miles  to 

Bridgeport — J ust  before  reaching  the 
station  a short  tunnel  is  passed,  through  a 
spur  ofthe  western  range,  which  is  thrown 
out  to  the  south,  as  though  to  bar  our  brog- 
ress  or  to  shut  in  the  beautiful  little  valley 
m the  center  of  which  is  located  the  sta- 
tion.  I 

The  grade  now  begins  to  increase,  as  our  ! 
tram  is  climbing  the  Suscol  Hills,  which  [ 
border  San  Pablo  Bay.  These  hills  are 
very  productive,  the  soil  being  adobe.  To  ! 
the  tops  of  the  highest  and  steepest  hills  ' 
the  grain  fields  extend,  even  where 
machinery  cannot  be  used  in  harvestiug. 
In  the  valley  through  which  we  have 
passed  are  several  thriving  towns,  but  the 
railroad  does  not  go  near  enough  for  us  to 
see  them. 

Prom  Bridgeport,  3.83  miles  brings  the 
train  to 

Creston — but  it  will  not  stop,  but  roll 
down  through  the  hills  bordering  the  bav, 
3.7  miles  to  ^ 

Napa  Junction — Here  we  are  in  Napa 
Valley,  which  is  on  the  west;  beyond  are 
the  Sonoma  hills,  over  which  is  the  So- 
noma Valley ; to  the  southward  San  Pablo 
Bay.  At  this  junction,  we  meet  the  Napa 
Valley  branch,  which  runs  north  to  Calis- 
toga,  35  miles.  (For  a description  of  this 
branch,  see  page  220 .) 

Continuing,  our  route  is  now  south, 
along  the  base  of  the  hill  we  have  just 
crossed,  which  also  runs  south  to  the  Straits 
of  Carquinez,  the  outlet  of  the  Sacramento 
River,  which  flows  into  San  Pablo  Bay. 
The  Fair  Grounds  of  the  counties  of 
Napa  and  Sonoma  are  passed,  on  the  right, 

3.2  miles,  and  three  miles  further  appears 
North  Vallejo,  and  1.1  miles  more.  South 
Vallejo,  where  the  steamboat  lays,  which 
conveys  passengers  over  San  Pablo,  and 
San  Francisco  Bays,  26.25  miles  to  the 
City  of  San  Francisco.  A description  of 
this  route  across  the  bay,  will  be  found  on 
page  220.  As  North  and  South  Vallejo  are 
virtually  one^  we  shall  speak  of  them  as 

Vallejo — The  town  is  situated  on  the 
southeastern  point  of  the  high-rolling,  grass- 
covered  hills  bordering  Vallejo  Bay,  which 
is  about  four  miles  long  and  half  a mile  wide, 
with  24  feet  of  water  at  low  tide.  The 
harbor  possesses  excellent  anchorage,  and 
vessels  are  securely  sheltered  from  storms. 
The  largest  vessels  find  safe  waters;  and 
here  are  laid  up  the  United  Stales  ships 
when  not  in  use  on  this  coast.  The  naval 


AND  PACIFIC  COAST  GUIDE. 


303 


TIIvdlE  T-ABXjE. 

WESTERN  DIVISION, 

SACRAMENTO  TO  SAN  FRANCISCO- 


E.  C.  Fellows,  Superintendent. 


WEST 

FROM  OMAHA. 

SAN  FRANCISCO  TIME.  1 

EAST  FROM  SAN  FRANCISCO. 

Daily  I 
Emigrant  ! 
and  freight. 

Daily 
Express 
1st  & 2d  cl’s 

Distance 

from 

Omaha 

STATIONS, 

Altitude . 

Daily 
Express 
1st  & 2d  cl’s 

Daily 
Emigrant 
and  freight 

11:00  am 

10:45  am 

..1776.... 

Lv SACRAMENTO Ar 

...30.... 

2:40 

7:25  pm 

11 :25 

11 :00 

1780 

Brighton 

....55.... 

2:25 

6:50 

11 :45 

11 :10 

1784. . . 

Florin 

....32.... 

2:14 

6:25 

12 :20  p m 

11 :25 

. . 1791 .... 

Elk  Grove 

....53.... 

1:58 

5:45 

12:40 

11 :33 

1794..  . 

M’Connell’s 

....49.... 

1:50 

5:20 

1 :30 

11 :51 

1802 

Galt 

....49.... 

1:30 

4:30 

2:00 

12:04  p m 

1807 

Acampo 

...  51.... 

1 :17 

3:57 

2:20 

12:10 

1810 

Lodi 

....55.. .. 

1:10 

3:38 

2:55 

12:26 

..1817.. 

. . . .Castle 

...  27.... 

12:53 

2:55 

3:25 

12:40 

“l823 

Stockton 

....23.... 

12:40 

2:15 

4:00 

1:00* 

.1832. ... 

Lathrop 

...25.... 

12:05*  pm 

1:15* 

4*25 

1:22 

..1835.... 

San  J oaquin  Bridge 

....36.... 

11:58 

12:45 

4:48 

1 :35 

1840 

Banta’s 

....30.. .. 

11:44 

12:10  p m 

5:15 

1 :47 

1845 

Ellis 

....  76 ... . 

11:31 

11:31 

5:45 

2:02 

1850  . 

Medwav 

...357.. .. 

11:16 

10:45 

6:50 

2:30 

1858  ... 

Altamont 

...740.... 

10:50 

10:00 

7:50 

2:50 

1867  . . 

Livermore 

.. .485.... 

10:25 

8:35 

8:40 

3:05 

1873 

Pleasanton 

.. .351.... 

10:12 

7:55 

9:15 

3:20 

1878 

Sunol 

...170.... 

9:55 

7:25 

9:45 

3:40 

1884  . 

Niles 

....  86 ... . 

9:35 

6:15 

10:12 

3:47 

1887. .. 

Decota 

...  71 ... . 

9:28 

5:58 

10:48 

4:0:i 

1893 

....  Haward’s 

....48.. .. 

9:14 

5:25 

11 :03 

4:10 

1896 

Lorenzo 

...  32.... 

9:07 

5:10 

11 :18 

4:16 

..1899.... 

San  Leandre 

....48.... 

9:00 

4:52 

11 :42 

4:27 

1903 

. .Melrose 

....20.... 

8:50 

4:26 

11 :55 

4:34 

1905  ... 

. East  Oakland 

...12.... 

8:44 

4:12 

12:06  a m 

4:44 

. 1907 

Oakland 

....13.... 

8:36 

4:00 

12’:15 

4:48 

..1909.... 

West  Oakland 

....12.... 

8:32 

3:50 

12:35  a m 

5:00 

. 1911 

Oakland  Wharf 

....10.... 

8:20 

3 :30  am 

1 5: 35  pm 

..1914  ... 

Ar....SAN  FRANCISCO  ... Lv 

8:00  am 

* Meals.  Note  elevations. 


!: 

I; 


force,  including  the  monitors,  on  this  side, 
all  rendezvous  here.  On  Mare  Island, 
just  across  the  hay,  are  the  Government 
works,  dry  docks,  arsenals,  etc.  The  finest 
section  dock  on  the  coast  is  located  on  the 
island,  just  in  front  of  the  town.  Ferry- 
boats connect  with  the  main  land  and  city. 
About  500  men  are  constantly  employed  at 
the  Government  works,  though  at  times  the 
number  is  much  greater. 

The  population  of  Vallejo  is  7,000.  It 
has  two  newspapers,  the  Times  and  the 
Chronicle,  daily  and  weekly.  The  Bernard 
and  the  Howard  are  the  two  principal 
hotels.  It  has  some  fine  buildings — 
churches  of  different  denominations,  pub- 
lic and  private  schools.  The  Orphan 
Asylum,  a fine  structure,  stands  on  an  ele- 
vation to  the  east  of  the  town,  and  can  be 
seen  for  a great  distance.  There  are  some 
very  large  warehouses  here,  and  a great 


many  vessels  are  loaded  here  with  grain 
for  Liverpool  and  other  foreign  ports.  It 
is  also  the  southern  terminus  of  the  Cali- 
fornia Pacific  railroad,  which  connects  here 
with  the  steamers  for  San  Francisco,  26 
miles  distant. 

But  we  must  return  once  more  to  Sacra- 
mento, and  this  time  take  our  old  seat  in 
the  cars  of  the  Trans-Continental  railroad, 
bound  for  “Frisco”  or  the  “ Bay,”  as  the 
city  of  San  Francisco  is  called  by  the  older 
“ Pilgrims,”  so  good-by,  Sacramento. 

The  Overland  Route— from  Sac- 
ramento is  along  the  eastern  bank  of  the 
Sacramento  Biver,  when  leaving  the  city, 
and  on  through  well-cultivated  gardens, 
orchards  and  vineyards,  5.7  miles  to 

Rrig;hton — Here  we  learn  that  the 
cars  of  the  Sacramento  Valley  railroad, 
managed  by  the  Central  Pacific  Company, 
run  down  on  the  same  track  as  the  ‘ Central/* 


ckofutt’s  new  overland  tourist 

to  this  station,  where  they  branch  oft*.  Lei 
us  step  into  them,  and  see  where  they  ffo. 
Patterson’s  is  five  miles;  Salsbury’s  six 
miles ; Alder  Creek,  three  miles,  and  three 
miles  more  brings  us  to 

Folsom— twenty-five  miles  east  from 
oacramento,  in  Sacramento  county,  on  the 
south  bank  of  the  American  River  popu- 
lation  about  2,000  The  Telegra/ph  is  pub- 
lished here,  weekly  Vine  culture  is  an 
important  industry.  Some  of  the  finest 
State  are  near  here,  in- 
cluding the  Natoma,  which  is  celebrated 
lor  Its  fine  quality  of  raisins  and  wine.  To 
the  north  and  east  of  the  town,  placer 
mining  is  the  principal  business;  to  the 
south  and  west,  farming  and  grazing. 

There  are  extensive  granite  quarries  in 
the  vicinity.  From  the  bed  of  the  river, 
near  this  point,  large  quantities  of  cobble- 
stones have  been  obtained,  taken  to  Sacra- 
mento, and  used  in  strengthening  the  levees 
around  the  City.  Most  of  the  cobble  pave- 
ment in  San  Francisco  was  obtained  from 
the  same  source. 

Folsom  is  ornamented  with  fruit  and 
shade  trees,  and  has  many  fine  public  and 
private  buildings,  with  magnificent  scenery. 

^ Regular  stages  leave  for  Coloma,  daily 
v^ia.  Mormon  Island,  Salmon  Falls  and 
Greenwood  Valley,  24  miles  distant. 

^ Passing  on  seven  miles  to  White  Rocks, 
eight  to  Latrobe,  and  eleven  to  Shingle 
Springs,  brings  us  to  the  end  of  the  rail- 
road, 49  miles  from  Sacramento. 

Placerville. — is  twelve  miles  from 
Shingle  Springs,  with  which  it  is  connect- 
ed  with  daily  stages.  It  is  the  county 
seat  ot  El  Dorado  county,  60  miles  east  of 
Sacramento,  at  an  altitude  of  1,880  feet 
above  tide— present  population,  about 

Who  has  not  heard  of  Placerville,  El 
Dorado  county  ? It  was  in  this  county,  at 
Coloma,  eight  miles  northeast  of  the  city, 
where  the 

First  gold  discovery — was  made  Jan- 
uary, 19th,  1848— by  J.  W.  Marshall,  in  the 
mill  race  of  General  Sutter.  The  an- 
nouncement of  this  discovery  caused  the 
wildest  gold  fever'  excitement  exter  experi- 
enced not  only  in  America,  but  in  every 
part  of  the  civilized  world. 

The  news  ol*  these  rich  discoveries  sped 
with  the  wings  of  the  wind,  and  thousands, 
yes,  tens  of  thousands,  in  the  Atlantic  States  i 
left  homes,  friends,  and  all  they  held  dear, 

^ make  their  fortunes  in  this,  the  new  El  i 
Dorado.  With  many  the  excitement  be- 

: came  intense,  ships,  steamers,  barks,  brigs 
, and  all  manner  of  sailing  vessels  were  char- 
tered or  purchased  for  a trip  “around  the 
i Horn ;”  and  no  sacrifice  was  thought  to  be 
too  much  to  make  to  procure  the  necessary 
outfit  for  the  expedition.  Again  there  were 
thousands  who,  choosing  the  land,  boldly 
struck  out  toward  the  setting  sun  to  cross  the 
then  almost  unknown  trackless  deserts 
and  pathless  mountains.  Horses,  mules 
and  cattle  were  pressed  into  service,  as  well 
as  all  kinds  of  conveyances,  while  many 
started  with  hand-carts,  propelling  them 
themselves,  upon  which  they  packed  their 
tools  and  provisions  for  the  trip.  Again, 
others  started  on  foot,  with  only  what  they 
could  pack  on  their  backs,  '‘'"trusting  to 
luckr  Very  few,  if  any,  had  a thought  of 
the  privations  to  be  endured,  or  the  obsta- 
cles to  be  overcome,  so  anxious  were  they 
to  arrive  at  the  Land  of  Gold. 

Those  who  came  by  water,  passed  in  at 
the  Golden  Gate,  and  up  the  Sacramento, 
while  those  by  land  came  pouring  over  the 
Sierra  Nevada  Mountains,  by  natural 
passes,  down,  down  into  this  beautiful  val- 
ley, where  a city  of  many  thousands  sud- 
denly sprang  into  existence.  From  a “lit- 
tle unpleasantness”  the  place  was  first 
known  as  “Hangtown,”  but  in  1852  it  was 
changed  to  Placerville,  which  indicated  at 
that  time,  the  nature  of  the  mining  done 
in  the  vicinity.  Of  the  many  thousands 
who  started  across  the  plains  and  moun- 
tains, hundreds  died  by  the  wayside,  and 
were  buried  by  their  companions,  while 
the  greater  number  were  “lost”  by  the 
hand  of  t\iQ  friendly  Indian  or  the  hostile 
Mormon. 

It  has  been  estimated,  and  we  think  cor- 
rectly, could  the  bones  of  these  emigrants 
be  collected,  and  those  of  their  animals,  to- 
gether with  their  wagons  and  carts,  in  one 
continuous  line,  between  the  Missouri 
river  and  the  Pacific  coast,  since  the  rush 
commenced  in  18^8,  they  would  be  more 
numerous  closer  together  t\\Sin  the  tele- 

graph poles  on  the  line  of  the  Pacific  rail- 
road across  the  Continent. 

The  early  mining  done  about  Placerville 
was  done  by  hand,  the  pan,  rocker,  and 
long  Tom ; these  have  long  since  given 
place  to  the  quartz  mills — there  are  32  in 
the  county — and  the  hydraulic  process, 
by  which  nearly  all  the  mining  is  now 
done. 

Vine  culture  and  fruit  culture  are  now 
the  most  important  occupations  of  the  peo- 
ple of  the  county.  Fresh  and  dried  fruits 

AND  PACIFIC  COAST  GUIDE.  205 

are  shipped  by  the  hundreds  of  tons,  while 
the  annual  crop  of  wine  and  brandy  pro- 
duced is  over  800,000  gallons. 

Placerville  contains  a goodly  number  of 
schools,  and  churches  of  almost  every  de- 
nomination, including  a “Joss  House.” 
The  different  secret  orders  are  well  repre- 
sented, and  two  newspapers,  the  Democrat 
and  the  Republican^  make  their  appearance 
every  week. 

Placerville  is  situated  in  what  is  known  as 
the  FOOT-HILLS  as  the  chain  of  broken 
land  is  called,  which  lies  between  the 
Sierra  Mountains  and  the  plains,  extend- 
ing from  Fresno  county  on  the  south, 
through  Tuolumne,  Calaveras,  Amador, 
£1  Dorado,  Placer,  Nevada,  Yuba,  Butte 
to  Tehama,  on  the  north,  comprising  nearly 
one-fourth  of  the  arable  land  of  the  State. 
The  soil  is  altogether  different  from  that  of 
the  valleys,  being  generally  of  a red,  gravelly 
clay  and  sandy  loam.  In  the  little  valleys 
which  are  found  among  these  hills,  the  soil 
is  generally  a black  loam — the  product  of 
the  mountain  washings.  Experiments, 
however,  have  decided  the  fact  that  these 
foot-hills  are  the  natural  vineyards  of  Cali- 
fornia. In  El  Dorado  and  Placer  coun- 
ties, on  these  sandy  foot-hills  are  now  the 
finest  vineyards  in  the  State,  from  which  are 
manufactured  fine  wines  and  raisins. 
Here  among  these  hills  are  as  cozy 
homes  as  one  could  wish  to 

have,  where  grain,  vegetables  and  all 
kinds  of  fruit  are  raised  in  abundance, 
while  thousands  of  acres  are  lying  vacant 
awaiting  the  emigrant. 

The  mulbery  tree  and  the  silkworm  are 
cultivated  to  some  extent  in  the  foot-hills, 
and  this  branch  of  industry  is  lately  re- 
ceiving considerable  attention. 

Again  we  return  to  the  Trans-Cjnti- 
NENTAL,  which  we  left  at  Brighton. 

I'lorin — is  four  miles  from  Brighton. 
The  many  new  buildings  the  well-cultiva- 
ted fields,  the  raisin  grape  vineyards,  all 
denote  a spirit  of  progress  in  the  settlers, 
that  would  seem  to  say,  hare  come  here 

to  Urey 

The  traveler  has  probably  noticed  several 
windmills  along  the  road,  before  arriving 
at  this  station.  The  California  Wind- 
mill is  a great  institution  in  its  way.  It 
seems  to  have  been  brought  to  a greater 
state  of  perfection  on  this  coast  than  any- 
where else.  From  this  place  we  will  find 
their  numbers  to  increase  until  we  get  to 
the  “Windmill  City,”  as  Stockton  is  often 
called,  where  they  can  be  seen  in  great 

numbers,  in  every  direction.  Many  times 
the  water  is  pumped  into  reservoirs  built  on 
the  tops  of  the  houses,  resembling  a cupola, 
from  which  pipes  take  the  water  to  the 
different  rooms  throughout  the  house  and 
grounds ; the  waste  water  is  conducted  in- 
to the  gardens  and  fields  for  irrigating 
purposes.  These  mills  are  numerous  in 
San  Francisco  and  throughout  the  State. 
From  Florin  it  is  6.2  miles  to 

IBlk  Grove— Here,  too,  many  recent 
improvements  are  noticeable.  In  a clear 
day  the  snow-capped  Sierras,  on  the  left 
can  be  plainly  seen,  and  away  to  the  south 

60  miles  distant. 

Mount  Diablo  rising  clear  and  grand 
from  out  the  plains,  an  unerring  pilot  to 
those  who  wandered  across  these  once 
trackless  plains  that  now  are  teeming  with 
life  aud  industry.  It  is  situated  in  the 
Contra  Costa  range  of  mountains,  and  is  the 
meridian  point  in  the  land  surveys  of  the 
State.  Elevation  3,876  feet.  The  view  from 
the  summit  includes  the  country  and  towns 
around  San  Francisco,  San  Pablo 
and  Suisun  bays,  and  the  valleys  of  the 
Sacramento  and  San  Joaquin  Rivers.  It 
is  reached  by  steamboats  from  either 
San  Francisco,  Stockton  or  Sacramento. 

The  beautiful  valley  through  which  the 
road  passes  is  now  spreading  out  before  us, 
and  we  begin  to  realize  that  nature  has 
done  much  for  this  “sunset  land.” 

MLcC/Onnell’s — is  a small  station  3.5 
miles  from  Elk  Grove.  Near  are  large 
fields,  where  cattle  and  sheep  are  fed  and 
fattened  for  market. 

Before  reaching  the  next  station,  we 
cross  Cosumnes  River,  which  rises  in  the 
mountains  to  the  northeast.  The  bottom 
lands  are  very  wide,  and  covered  with 
both  white  and  live  oaks,  and  near  the 
stream  with  willows.  The  water  gets  very 
high  in  the  spring-time,  and  very  low  in 
the  summer. 

a station  with  a few  dozen  build- 
ings, large  warehouses,  big  cattle  pens,  and 
shutes  for  loading  cattle  and  sheep — is  7.7 
miles  from  McConnell’s.  At  this  station 
we  find  the 

Amadore  Branch  Railroad, 

Let  us  “ change  cars,”  and  note  the  re- 
sult. Leaving  the  station,  our  course  is 
north  a short  distance,  and  then  northeast 
towards  the  mountains,  over  a section  of 
country  devoted  pretty  generally  to  stock- 
raising — sheep  principally. 

1 Cicero — is  the  first  station,  8.8  miles 

206 


CKOFUTT  S NEW  OVERLAND  TOURIST 


distant,  a small  place  of  about  150  inhabi- 
tants. Passing  on  11.7  miles  further,  we 
are  at 

Carbondale — Here  are  extensive  coal 
mines,  operated  by  the  lone  Coal  Co.,  who 
load  on  an  average  fifteen  cars  per  dav— 
150  tons. 

At  Michigan  Bar,  eight  miles  north, 
large  quantities  of  the  best  pottery  are 
mpufactured,  which  finds  its  market  over 
this  road.  From  Carbondale  it  is  6.7 
miles  to 

loNE— the  end  of  the  road,  27.2  miles 
from  Galt.  This  place  is  in  Amadore 
county,  in  a section  devoted  to  mining  and 
agriculture. 

The  coal  mines  located  here  have  yielded 
about  200  tons  per  day  during  the  year 
1877.  A new  vein  of  coal,  struck  towards 
the  last  of  the  year  1877,  opens  up  an  al- 
most unlimited  deposit.  Placer  mining  is 
carried  on  to  some  extent  on  Sutter  Creek. 

The  News,  a weekly  paper,  is  published 
at  lone,  which  is  also  a point  from  which 
fourteen  mining  towns,  large  and  small, 
draw  their  supplies.  Some  of  these  are 
reached  by  stage  as  follows:  Volcano, 
population,  500;  West  Point,  300;  Jack- 
son,  San  Andreas,  Mokelumna  Hill,  Sut 
ter  Amador,  Drytown,  Plymouth,  and 
Fiddletown.  These  places  are  from  ten  to 
fifteen  miles  distant.  From  lone  it  is 
fifteen  miles  southeast  to  Mokelumna  Hill, 
(pronounced  Mokel-m-ne,)  county  seat  of 
Calperas  county.  This  is  one  of  the  early 
mining  towns  of  the  State.  Piacer  mines 
were  worked  as  early  as  1848,  and  are 
worked  to  some  extent  at  the  present  time ; 
but  quartz  mining  and  agriculture  are  the 
principal  occupation  of  the  people.  It  is 
a pretty  little  town ; the  streets  are  orna- 
mented with  shade  trees  on  each  side,  and 
has  some  beautiful  gardens  and  private 
residences,  with  good  schools  and  churches, 
several  good  hotels,  and  one  weekly  news- 
paper— the  Chronicle — the  oldest  paper  in 
the  State.  Population,  1,200. 

We  will  now  return  to  Galt,  and  start 
once  more  south. 

.^cS/inpo — is  a small  station  where 
trains  seldom  stop,  5.4  miles  Ifom  Galt, 
and  2.9  miles  from 

liOdi— The  country  along  here  has 
been  settled  up  very  much  in  the  last  four 
years ; the  fields  are  pretty  generally 
fenced  and  well  cultivated,  and  some  fine 
vineyards  of  the  raisin  grape  can  be  seen. 
Many  new  buildings  attest  the  thrift  of  the 
people.  Stages  leave  this  station  daily — 


except  Sunday— for  Mokelumne  Hill  35 
miles  east. 

Castle— is  six  miles  from  Lodi.  Our 
train  rolls  along  through  fine  broad  bottom 
lands,  dotted  here  and  there  with  white- 
oak  trees,  which,  at  a distance,  appear  like 
an  old  New  England  apple-tree. 

Six  miles  further,  just  before  reaching 
the  next  station — on  the  right,  that  large 
building  is  the  State  Insane  Asylum. 
The  grounds  devoted  to  the  use  of  the 
asylum  occupy  100  acres.  The  first  build- 
ing in  view  is  the  male  department ; the 
second,  the  female.  We  are  now  in  the 
suburbs  of 

Stockton— the  county  seat  of  San 
Joaquin  county.  Population,  13,000.  Ele- 
vation, 23  feet.  The  city  was  named  in 
honor  of  the  old  naval  commodore  of  that 
naine,  who  engaged  in  the  conquest  of 
California.  It  is  situated  on  a small  bay, 
of  the  San  J oaquin  River,  at  the  head  of 
navigation;  navigable  for  crafts  of  200 
tons;  yet  steamboats  of  light  draft  ascend 
the  river  (San  Joaquin)  250  miles  farther. 
Stockton  is  situated  in  the  midst  of  level 
plains,  celebrated  for  their  great  yield  of 
grain.  It  is  the  center  of  an  immense 
grain  trade.  In  early  times,  the  only  trade 
depended  upon  for  the  support  of  the 
city  was  derived  directly  from  the  work- 
ing of  the  mines  to  the  eastward.  Some 
of  this  trade  is  still  retained;  but,  com- 
pared with  the  tremendous  grain  trade 
which  has  sprung  into  existence  within 
the  last  six  years,  it  sinks  to  a unit.  The 
city  has  many  beautiful  public  and  private 
buildings,  thirteen  churches,  fourteen  pub- 
lic and  many  private  schools;  is  lighted 
with  gas,  and  well  supplied  with  water, 
the  latter  from  an  artesian  well  1,002  feet 
deep,  which  discharges  360,000  gallons  per 
day— the  watqp-lnsing  ten  feet  above  the 
city  grade.  There  are  several  good  hotels ; 
the  Yo-Semite  and  Grand  are  the  prin- 
cipal ones.  The  Independent  and  the 
Herald  are  daily  papers,  published  here. 
The  city  is  embowered  in  trees  and  shrub- 
bery : most  of  the  private  residences  and 
gardens  of  the  citizens  are  certainly  very 
tastefully  ornamented  with  all  kinds  of 
vines,  shrubbery,  and  flowers. 

The  soil  around  Stockton  is  “ adobe,’’  a 
vegetable  mold,  black  and  very  slippery, 
and  soft  during  the  rainy  season.  This 
extends  southward  to  the  Contra  Costas, 
and  west  about  five  miles,  where  the 
sand  commences  and  extends  to  the  river. 
Stockton,  for  several  years  after  the  com-  | 


AND  Pacific  coast  guide. 


207 


LIVERMORE  PASS  TUNNEL. — See  page  209. 


pletion  of  the  Overland  road,  was  the 
starting  point — in  stages — for  Yo  Semite 
Valley  and  all  the  big  trees.  But,  by 
the  building  of  the  Visalia  Division  of 
the  “Central,”  most,  if  not  all,  the  travel  for 
Yo  Semite,  Mariposa  and  the  Tuolumna 
big  tree  groves,  has  taken  that  route,  the 
distance  by  stage  being  much  shorter. 
(See  map  of  route,  page  201.)  Again,  by 
the  building  of  the  Stockton  & Visalia, 
and  Stockton  & Copperopolis  railroads, 
all  the  travel  for  the  Calaveras  Big  Tree 
Grove,  go  by  that  route.  (See  map.)  For 
a description  of  the  route  to  Yo  Semite 
Valley  and  the  Mariposa  and  Tuolumna 
big  trees,  (see  under  “Visalia  Division,” 
page  234). 

To  Calaveras  Big  Trees — we  will 
simply  note  the  route,  and  refer  to  Annex 
No.  51,  “ Book  of  Deference.”  Taking  the 
S.  & V.,  and  S.  & C.  railroad  at  the  depot 
of  the  “Central,”  the  route  is  east,  six  miles  to 
Charleston,  three  more  to  Walthall  two 


more  to  Holden  and  four  more  to  Peters, 
fifteen  miles  from  Stockton.  From  Peters, 
a line  branches  off  to  the  southeast.  Taking 
that  branch,  it  is  five  miles  to  Farmington, 
three  more  to  Grigo,  five  to  Clyde,  four  to 
Burnett’s  and  two  more  to  Oak  Dale,  the 
end  of  the  road,  34.4  miles  from  Stockton. 
Returning  to  Peters,  it  is  seven  miles  to 
Waverly  and  eight  more  to  Milton,  the  end 
of  the  road,  30  miles,  from  Stockton.  Some 
travel  leaves  Milton  for  Yo  Semite  Valley, 
Chinese  Camp,  Big  Oak  Flat  and  the  Tuo- 
lumne Big  Trees ; distance  from  Milton,  87 
miles. 

Stages  leave  Milton  regularly  for  Mur- 
phys, 30  miles ; Sonora,  36  miles ; Chinese 
Camp,  28  miles  and  all  mining  towns  of 
note  to  the  north  and  east.  From  Milton 
it  is  45  miles  to  the  Calaveras  Big  Tree 
Grove,  via  Murphys. 

Big  Trees — There  has  been,  up  to  the 
present  time,  ten  “ Big  Tree  Groves  ” dis- 
covered on  the  western  slope  of  the  Sierra 


208 


crofutt’s  new  overland  tourist 


Nevada  Mountains,  numbering  from  92  to 
1,000  trees  each,  and  ranging  in  height 
from  250  to  321  feet,  with  a circumference, 
at  the  ground,  of  from  60  to  95  feet  each. 

The  largest  ever  discovered  is  called  the 
“Father  of  the  Forest”— now  prostrate— 
and  measures  435  feet  in  length  and  110 
feet  in  circumference.  It  is  in  the  Calaveras 
grove.  The  elevation  of  this  grove  above 
tide  is  4,735  feet.  The  trees  number  92, 
ranging  from  150  to  321  feet  in  height. 
The  most  notable  are  the  “ Father  of  the 
Forest,”  as  above  stated ; the  “Mother  of 
the  Forest,”  321  feet  high,  90  feet  in  circum- 
ference; “ Hercules,”  320  feet  high,  95  feet 
in  circumference  ; “ Hermit,”  318  feet  high, 
60  feet  in  circumference ; “ Pride  of  the 
Forest,”  276  feet  high,  60  feet  in  circum- 
ference; “Three  Graces,”  295  feet  high,  92 
feet  in  circumference;  “ Husband  & Wife,” 
252  feet  high,  60  feet  in  circumference; 

“ Burnt  Tree  ” — prostrate — 330  feet  long,  97 
feet  in  circumference;  “The  Old  Maid,” 
“Old  Bachelor,”  “ Siamese  Twins,”  “Mother 
& Sons,”  the  “ Two  Guardsmen,”  and  many 
others  range  from  261  to  300  feet  in  height 
and  from  59  to  92  feet  in  circumference. 
Of  over  350  big  trees  in  the  Mariposa 
grove,  125  are  from  250  to  350  feet  in  height 
and  40  feet  in  circumference.  The  “Ram- 
bler” is  250  feet  high,  and  102  feet  in  cir- 
cumference, at  the  ground. 

Hotel  accommodations  at  the  different 
groves,  and  in  Yo  Semite  Valley  will  be 
found  ample.  Returning  to  Stockton,  we 
once  in  ore  take  the  Overland  train  for  San 
Francisco.  This  is  a great  country  for 
rapid  changes.  Where  to-day  there  are 
only  stages,  to-morrow  there  may  be  palace 
cars ; so  that  it  is  almost  impossible  for  us 
to  keep  up  with  the  times.  When  our 
guide  was  first  published,  in  1869,  not  one 
foot  of  all  the  roads  we  have  come  over, 
from  the  Missouri  to  this  place,  or  will  go 
over,  or  that  are,  was  built  or  hardly 
thought  of.  How  fast  we  live!  At  the 
same  proportional  increase  for  the  next 
nine  years,  where  will  we  be  ? 

Liathrop— is  8.9  miles  south  of  Stock- 
ton,  at  tne  junction  of  the  “Visalia  Di- 
vision” of  the  Central  Pacific  railroads 
Here  the  R.  R.  Co.  have  erected  a fine,  large 
hotel,  before  which  trains  stop  30  minutes, 
to  afford  passengers  an  opportunity  to  take 
a meal,  for  which  the  moderate  charge  of 
50  cents  is  made.  (For  a description  of  the 
country  to  the  south,  including  Yo  Semite 
Valley  and  the  big  trees  of  Mariposa  and 
Tuolumna  groves,  See  page  234.)  Here 


passengers  for  Fort  Yuma,  Los  Angeles 
and  intermediate  country  can  “change 
cars,”  if  they  choose,  without  going  to  San 
Francisco. 

From  Lalhrop,  it  is  3.6  miles  to  the 
bridge  over  the  San  J oaquin  River.  Here 
the  cars  come  to  a full  stop  before  crossing, 
to  be  sure  to  guard  against  accidents— as 
the  bridge  has  a “ draw  ” for  the  accom- 
modation of  the  river  boats.  This  company 
has  a rule  for  all  their  employes,  and  a 
“ Golden”  one  it  is,  that  In  case  of  un- 
certainty, alioays  take  the  safe  side  ''  This 
rule  is  well  ohserred;  few  “ accidents  ” take 
place  on  the  roads  operated  by  this  com- 
pany, for  the  reason  that  the  road  is  con- 
structed of  good  materials,  and  in  the  most 
substantial  manner,  with  all  its  equipments 
of  the  first  class.  The  officers  are  thor- 
oughly practical  men,  who  never  discharge 
an  employe,  on  any  consideration,  who  has 
proved  to  be  a competent  man  for  his  posi- 
tion, simply  to  make  room  for  a favorite, 
or  a worthless  “ cousin." 

Crossing  the  bridge,  the  long  range  of 
the  (>ontra  Costa  Mountains  looms  up  in 
the  distance,  directly  ahead,  and  extends  a 
long  distance  to  the  right  and  left,  on  either 
hand,  as  though  to  effectually  stop  our 
progress.  We  cannot  see  any  place  to  get 
through  or  over  them,  yet  we  are  sure  San 
Francisco  is  on  the  other  side. 

SantaiS — is  4.4  miles  from  the  bridge, 
and  is  reached  after  passing  over  a broad 
bottom,  the  soil  of  which  is  a rich,  deep 
sandy  loam  and  very  productive.  This 
station  consists  of  a postoffice,  a half-dozen 
stores,  several  large  freight  warehouses, 
with  a surrounding  country,  well  settled, 
most  of  which  is  under  cultivation.  Stages 
leave  this  station  on  arrival  of  trains  for 
Graysonville,  20  miles ; Mahoney,  35  miles ; 
Crow’s  Landing,  35  miles;  and  Hill’s 
Ferry,  41  miles. 

After  leaving  the  station,  we  have  wit- 
nessed, on  several  occasions,  by  looking 
away  to  the  right,  that  curious  phenomenon, 
the  mirage,  which  is  often  seen  on  the 
desert.  (See  description,  page  169.)  About 
three  miles  west  is  be  the  new  station  of 

Tracy— at  the  junction  of  the  San 
Pablo  & Tulare  railroad,  now  building 
from  Martinez,  opposite  Benecia,  to  this 
place,  where  a connection  will  be  made 
with  the  Western  Division.  This  new  road 
is  virtually  a division  of  the  “Central,”  and 
will  be  72  miles  to  San  Francisco,  via 
Martinez  and  Berkley,  twelve  miles  longer 
than  the  route  we  are  now  traveling,  via 


AND  PACIFIC  COAST  GUIDE. 


; Livermore  Pass.  On  the  new  road  there 
, are  no  grades;  on  the  old,  there  is  740  feet 
altitude  to  overcome,  which,  in  the  trans- 
portation of  freight,  is  an  important  item. 
mils  — is  5.2  miles  from  Bantas,  west, 

; situated  in  the  midst  of  a beautiful  valley, 

■ which  is  rapidly  settling  up  The  coal 
mines  of  Corral  Hollow  are  fourteen  miles 
I distant  from  this  station  to  the  southeast, 

: connected  a portion  of  the  way  by  rail- 
i track.  The  “Central”  Co.  use  large  quan- 
tities of  this  coal — besides  transporting  it 
to  San  Francisco,  and  other  cities  and 
towns.  Since  leaving  the  last  station  we 
; have  gained  altitude,  this  station  being 
? 76  feet  elevation.  Another  engine  will  be 
' attached  here,  as  the  grade  increases  rap- 
idly after  leaving  this  station  until  we  get 
I to  the  summit  of  the  mountain. 

JWidway  — formerly  called  “Zink 
House,”  is  5.7  miles  from  Ellis ; elevation, 
357  feet.  Soon  after  leaving  the  station, 
we  enter  the  blufl's,  pass  through  deep 
cuts  and  over  high  fills,  our  two  iron 
horses  puffing  and  blowing  furiously  as 
they  labor  up  the  heavy  grade.  These 
bluffs  are  heavy  sand,  and  almost  destitute 
of  vegetation.  To  our  right  can  be  seen 
the  old  wagon  road,  fut  now  almost  de- 
serted. Still  upward  and  onward,  the 
long  train  thundering  around  this  jutting 
point,  and  over  that  high  embankment, 
twisting  and  turning,  fir^t  to  the  right,  and 
tlieu  to  the  left,  like  some  huge  serpent, 
while  the  blufis  seem  to  increase  in  height, 
and  the  canyon  is  nai rower  and  darker  at 
every  turn,  until,  at  last,  we  are  plunged 
into  i<  tat  darkness,  and  the  tunnel  of  Liver- 
more Pass;  elevation,  740  feet.  This  tun- 
nel is  the  only  one  on  the  road  from  Sacra- 
mento to  San  Francisco;  is  1,116 feet  long, 
supported  by  heavy  timbers.  (See  illus- 
tration, page  207.) 

Passing  through  the  tunnel,  our  descent 
is  rapid,  through  a narrow  canyon,  down 
into  one  of  the  loveliest  little  valleys  in 
the  whole  country,  and  7.9  miles  from 
Midway  our  train  stops  at 
Altamoiit — This  is  a small  station 
I at  the  foot  of  the  mountain.  Speeding  to 
L the  westward  8.1  miles,  brings  us  to 

liivermore — a thrifty  town  of  about 
1 l,2u0  inhabitants,  most  of  whom  are  en- 
g^iged  in  agricultural  pursuits.  The  town 
is  the  center  of  Livermore  Valley — one  of 
the  most  fertile  in  the  State — is  about  20 
miles  long  and  fifteen  miles  wide,  sur- 
rounded by  the  Contra  Costa  Mountains, 
and  their  numerous  spurs.  To  the  north, 
13 


209 


away  above  the  head  of  the  valley,  rises 
Mt.  Diablo,  the  meridian  center  of  the 
Pacific  coast. 

At  the  station  are  several  very  large 
warehouses  for  storing  grain — as  this  is  a 
productive  grain  valley  — several  large 
hotels,  some  stores  and  many  fine,  costly 
residences.  Here  are  particularly  notice- 
able the  eucalyptus,  or  Australian  blue 
gum  tree;  we  have  seen  it  in  a few  places 
before,  but  from  this  time  forward  they 
will  be  found  numerous,  in  some  places 
comprising  immense  groves.  These  trees 
are  planted  along  the  sides  of  the  streets, 
around  public  buildings,  in  the  grounds  of  ,j 
private  residences,  and  by  the  Railroad  h 
Company,  in  immense  quantities.  The 
latter  had  300,000  of  these  trees  growing 
beside  their  road  and  around  their  stations 
in  the  year  in  1877,  and  we  understand 
500,000  more  are  to  be  set  out  as  soon  as 
they  can  be  procured.  One  peculiarity  of 
this  tree,  besides  its  being  an  evergreen 
and  unusually  thrifty,  is,  that  it  will  grow 
on  the  most  sandy,  alkaline,  dry  and  bar- 
ren soil,  and  it  is  said  to  be  a sure  preven- 
tive against  chills  and  fever,  where  it  is 
grown  in  profusion.  Some  claim  that  it  is 
fire-proof,  and  that  shingles  or  plank  sawed 
from  these  trees  will  not  burn,  and  for  that 
reason  they  are  very  much  esteemed  in 
Australia — its  native  country — and  from 
which  the  first  on  this  coast  were  imported. 
There  are  125  known  species  of  the 
eucalypti,  about  50  of  which  are  to  be 
found  in  California. 

Leaving  Livermore,  the  ground  is 
covered  very  thickly  in  places  with  white, 
water- worn  pebbles,  ffom  the  size  of  a 
mustard  seed  to  that  of  a bird’s  egg;  when 
the  ground  is  bare  of  grass  or  grain,  they 
show  very  plainly. 

Pleasanton — is  reached  6.1  miles 
west  of  Livermore,  after  crossing  a long 
bridge  over  Alameda  Creek.  The  town 
contains  about  600  population  and  is  beau- 
tifully situated  on  the  western  edge  of 
the  valley,  and  is  a thrifty,  substantial  to  wn. 

Leaving  the  station,  the  mountain  again 
looms  up  directly  ahead,  and  it  looks  to  be 
impossible  this  time  to  get  through  it;  but 
soon  the  train  passes  around,  or  through 
several  mountain  spurs,  and  emerges  into 
a narrow  canyon,  down  which  ripples  the 
sparkling  Alameda  Creek.  The  bluffs  on 
each  side  are  steep,  and  covered  with  scr  b 
oaks,  wild  oats,and  bunch  grass.  8ycamcre 
trees  are  to  be  seen,  also  white  and  live 
oaks,  some  with  long,  drooping  moss- 


crofutt’s  new  overland  tourist 


210 


covered  boughs — some  very  large — grow- 
ing on  the  banks  of  the  creek,  presenting  at 
a distance  the  appearance  of  an  apple-tree 
laden  with  fruit.  On  we  go,  down, 
down,  first  on  one  side  of  the  creek,  then 
on  the  other,  the  bluffs  drawing  in  close  on 
both  sides,  through  deep  cuts,  over  high 
bridges,  with  rapidly  changing  scenery  on 
either  hand.  Soon  we  enter  a little  valley 
where  once  was  located  the  San  J ose  J unc- 
tion at 

— the  road  bed  of  which  can  be 
seen  on  the  left.  Then  the  cay  non  narrows 
to  a gorge,  and  on,  on  we  go  past  the  old 
“Vallejo  Mill,”  the  track  curving  to  the 
westward,  and  11.6  miles  from  Pleasan- 
ton the  train  arrives  at 

iSiiles— elevation  86  feet.  From  Liver- 
more Pass  we  have  descended  654  feet,  and 
are  now  in  the  valley,  which  continues  to 
San  Francisco  Bay. 

Niles  is  situated  in  the  thickest  settled 
portion  of  Alameda  Valley,  surrounded  by 
the  finest  lands  in  the  State  of  California, 
and  will,  at  no  distant  day,  be  a place  of 
considerable  importance.  Seven  miles  to 
the  south,  by  rail,  are  the  noted  warm 
springs  of  Alameda  county. 

Niles  is  now  the  junction  of  the  San 
Jose  branch,  which  runs  around  the  head 
of  Alameda  Valley  and  San  Franchco  Bay. 
As  the  train  for  San  Jose  is  ready,  let  us 
step  on  board  and  take  a look  at  the  coun- 
try. Four  miles  brings  us  to  Washington, 
About  two  miles  to  the  east  is  located  the 
old  mission  San  Jose,  in  a delightful  nook 
in  the  mountains,  just  such  a beautiful  site 
as  all  the  old  Padres  were  sure  to  select. 
Three  miles  further  is  the  Warm  Springs, 
where  the  traveler  will  find  ample  accom- 
modations for  a pleasant  sojourn.  These 
springs  are  situated  a short  distance  from 
the  station,  in  a quiet  little  valley  among 
the  foot-hills,  rather  ret. red,  surrounded 
by  attractive  scenery.  The  waters  are  im- 
pregnated with  sulphur,  and  are  highly 
spoken  of  for  their  medicinal  qualities. 
Near  these  springs  is  one  of  several  coun- 
try residences  owned  by  the  Hon.  Leland 
Stanford,  President  of  this  road.  It  is  now 
occupied  by  his  brother,  Josiah,  who  over- 
looks many  orchards  of  choice  fruit,  be- 
sides a vineyard  c»  ntaining  l(i0,000  vines. 
From  the  Springs  it  is  four  miles  to  Mil- 
PETAS,  and  seven  more  to  San  Jose,  at 
which  place  the  “ Central  ” connects  with 
the  Southern  Pacific  railroad  f r the  north 
and  south,  (c^ee  description  of  San  J ose 
on  page  230.) 


Beturning  to  Niles,  we  continue  our 
journey  towards  “ Frisco.” 

On  a clear  day,  the  city  of  San  Francisco 
— 26  miles  distant — can  be  distinctly  seen 
a little  to  the  left,  ahead  of  the  train  across 
the  bay. 

I>ecota — is  three  miles  from  Niles, 
through  beautiful  fields  on  our  left  and 
high  Wuffs  on  the  right.  This  is  a new 
town — one  preparing  for  (he  future,  and 
promises  at  this  time  to  be  one  of  unusual 
importance  as  a suburban  residence  for  the 
merchant  princes  of  San  Francisco. 

The  lots  are  very  large,  with  wide  aven- 
ues, beside  which  are  planted  long  rows  of 
trees — most  y eucalyptus — to  the  numb  r 
of  from  40,000  to  50,000.  The  water  conies 
from  living  springs,  which  flow  abundantly 
a few  miles  to  the  east  in  the  mountains. 
To  the  left  the  valley  stretches  away  ten 
miles  to  San  Francisco  Ba}^  dotted  here 
and  there  with  comfortable  farm-houses, 
and  on  all  sides  extensive  and  wed-culti- 
vated fields. 

Passing  along,  many  young  orchards  and 
groves  of  trees  will  be  notic<  able,  also  some 
of  the  beautiful  country  residences  of  San 
Francisco’s  merchants. 

Hayward’s  IStation— is  6.3  miles 
from  Decota.  The  town  is  one  mile  to  the 
east,  nestling  in  beside  the  mountains,  and 
a lovely  hamlet  it  is,  completely  embow- 
ered in  ornamental  trees,  among  which  are 
the  Japanese  persimmon.  Near  the  town 
are  two  groves  of  eucalyptus  trees,  of  about 
150  acres,  aggregating  250,000  trees,  200,000 
of  which  are  raising  for  the  Railroad  Com- 
pany. The  town  has  a population  of  about 
1,000,  many  of  wdiom  do  business  in  San 
Francisco,  going  and  returning  daily,  22 
miles. 

Along  this  valley  for  many  miles,  the 
Railroad  Company  have  planted,  bi  s de 
their  road,  double  rows  of  the  “gum-'ree,” 
as  the  eucalyptus  is  called  here,  and  we 
understand,  should  the  experiment  prove 
satisfactory  they  wil  continue  the  planting 
until  their  whole  2,000  miles  of  road  and 
branches  from  Ogden,  in  Utah,  to  Yuma, 
in  Arizona,  will  all  be  lined  with  these  pe- 
culiar trees. 

From  Hayward’s  it  is  2.7  miles  to 

IjOreiizo  — This  is  a small  village  sur- 
rounded by  wealth  of  all  ki  ds.  Away  to 
the  right,  beside  the  mountain,  that  large 
building  is  the  County  Poor  House.  Some 
of  the  pioneers  of  this  country,  and  others 
that  were  once  lich,  are  in  that  building. 
1 This  is  a country  where  the  “ ups  and 


AND  PACIFIC  COAST  GUIDE. 


211 


i 


I; 


1 

i 

5 


I 


I 


downs  ” are  ver^  rapid;  one  is  rich  to-day, 
with  gold  to  throw  away,  then  poor  to- 
morrow, without  a farthing  in  the  world. 

Alameda  county  is  noted  for  its  peculiarly 
rich  and  fertile  soil,  which  seems  espe- 
cially adapted  to  the  cultivation  of  all  kinds 
of  fruit  and  vegetables,  the  size  and  weight 
of  which  are  truly  marvelous.  This  val- 
ley is  the  currants’  home,  which  are  raised 
in  immense  quantities.  Here  is  located  a 
large  drying  establishment,  by  the  Alden 
process.  One  man,  a Mr,  Meek,  has  a 

2.200  acre  farm  here,  on  300  of  which,  are 

250.000  currant  bushe  s,  1,200  almond  trees, 

4.200  cherry  trees,  8,000  prune  and  plum, 
1,500  pear,  2,500  apple,  1,500  peach,  and 

2.000  apricot  trees,  besides  six  acres  in 
blackberries,  and  many  orange  trees. 

Another  poor  fellow  has  120  acres,  on 
which  are  2,000  plum  trees,  2 000  cherry, 
1,500  pear,  1,000  apple,  400  peach  and  apricot 
trees,  and  25  acres  in  currants  and  berries. 
Still  another  individual  has  100,000  cur- 
rant bushes,  and  the  Iburth,  raised  in  1877, 
200  tons  of  pumpkins,  300  tons  of  beets, 
and  20  tons  ot'  carrtjts.  Currants  grow  as 
large  as  filberts ; cherries,  three  inches  in 
circumferance ; plums,  pears,  apples, 
peaches,  and  apricots,  extraordinarily 
large,  while  carrots  grow  three  feet  long, 
and  weigh  35  pounds ; cabbages,  75  pounds ; 
onions,  five  pounds;  water-melons,  85 
pounds;  pumpkins — well,  no  scales  can 
weigh  them — pears,  3)^  pounds;  straw- 
berries, two  ounces ; and  beets— not  hoode- 
lums — 200  pounds.  These  beets  beat  in 
weight  those  raised  in  any  other  couniry — 
so  far  as  heard  from — and,  one  of  our  aged 
and  revered  philosophers  once  said  “ they 
beat  the  devil.” — Possibly,  we  are  not 
sufficiently  educated  to  make  any  positive 
statement  of  the  kind  that  could  be  taken 
as  reliable  All  kinds  of  grain  yields  are 
enormous. 

From  Lorenzo,  it  is  2.7  miles  to 

!^aii  Ijeandro— This  place  contains 
a population  of  about  2,000.  It  was  once 
the  county  seat  of  Alameda  county,  but  that 
honor  was  taken  away  to  enrich  Oakland, 
yet  the  citizens  seem  to  stand  the  loss,  and 
do  not  stop  in  their  efibrts  to  improve  and 
beautify  the  town,  or  in  raising  the  finest 
and  largest  vegetables  in  the  State. 

The  next  station  is  4.2  miles  distant, 
called 

Melrose— This  is  a small  station  at 
the  junction  of  the  Alameda  railroad.  Close 
beside  the  mountain,  on  the  right,  is  lo- 
cated the  Mills  Seminary,  for  young  ladies. 


The  building  cost  about  $100,000.  The 
grounds  occupy  65  acres,  and  are  most 
beautiful,  in  trees,  lawns,  etc. 

Alameda  — Alameda  county,  is  four 
miles  to  the  left  of  this  station.  Popula- 
tion 1,600.  It  is  situated  on  the  eastern 
shore  of  San  Francisco  Bay,  four  miles 
from  Alameda  Point,  and  ten  miles  from 
San  Francisco,  with  which  it  is  connected  by 
ferry  boats,  by  the  San  Francisco  & Ala- 
meda railroad,  and  with  the  “ Central  ” at 
Melrose.  It  has  good  schools  and 
churches  and  elegant  private  residences. 
The  town  abounds  in  beautiful  groves 
of  oaks.  The  Encinal  and  other  parks  are 
very  beautiful.  It  is  a favorite  resort  for 
bathers  and  for  picnic  parties  from  San 
Francisco.  The  Encinal  and  Argus^  both 
weekly  papers,  are  published  here. 

Passing  on  to  the  westward,  the  traveler 
will  note  a race  track  on  the  left,  where 
some  of  the  best  blooded  stock  in  the  State 
can  often  be  seen  exercising. 

Near  by  is  a large  smelting  furnace,  for 
manipulating  gold,  silver,  and  other  ores. 

We  are  now  passing  through  what — 
only  a few  years  since — was  an  open  coun- 
try, now  the  suburbs  of  a big  city,  that  is 
known  as 

East  Oakland — once  called  Brook- 
lyn, 2.3  miles  from  Melrose-  An  incor- 
porated part  of  Oakland — a very  thrifty 
place — is  separated  from  the  old  ci^y  by 
an  arm  of  San  Antonio  Creek,  but  con- 
nected by  bridges.  East  Oakland  and 
Oakland  are  situated  on  the  eastern  shore 
of  San  Francisco  Bay,  on  ground  which 
slopes  gradually  back  from  the  bay  for 
several  miles  to  the  foot-hills,  or  base  of 
the  Contra  Costa  Mountains,  in  their  rear. 
Upon  this  sloping  ground  are  built  many 
elegant  “out  of  town  ” residences  of  the 
merchants  of  San  Francisco,  which  com- 
mand a beautiful  view  of  their  city,  the 
Bay,  the  Golden  Gate,  and  the  surrounding 
country. 

A short  distance  to  the  northeast,  in  a 
canyon  of  the  mountains,  are  situated  the 
“ Piedmont  White  Sulphur  Springs.” 
These  springs  are  strongly  impregnated 
with  sulphur,  and  it  is  claimed  that  they 
possess  medicinal  qualities.  But  why  Cal- 
ilbrnians  should  be  sick^  or  drink  sulphur 
water,  when  they  have  such  good  wine^  and 
s > much  of  it^  w^e  are  unable  to  understand. 
The  only  cotton  mill  on  the  Pacific  coast  is 
located  at  this  place— the  “Oakland  Cotton 
Mills.” 


212  chofutt’s  new  overland  tourist 


Steam  cars  run  regularly  between  the 
city  and  San  Francisco,  every  half-hour, 
fare  15  cents;  by  commutation  tickets 
much  less.  These  cars  run  through  the 
center  of  the  city  of  Oakland,  and  not  on 
the  track  used  by  the  Overland  train,  until 
the  long  pier  is  reached  below  Oakland 
Point.  When  the  road  was  first  built,  all 
trains  run  through  the  heart  of  the  city, 
but  subsequently  a road  was  built  on  piles 
over  the  shoal  water  on  the  edge  of  the  bay, 
skirting  the  city  front,  reaching  the  old 
track  on  the  pier,  half  a mile  below  Oak- 
land Point,  and  at  thi8  time^  all  Overland 
trains  take  that  track. 

l.eaving  East  Oakland  our  train  runs 
along  over  the  water,  affording  a very  good 
view  of  the  bay  on  the  left,  and  on  the 
right,  Oakland,  and  mountain  to  the  back 
of  it.  Two  miles  further,  and  the  train 
stops  at  the  station  for 

Oakland — the  county  seat  of  Ala- 
meda county,  has  a population  of  40,000, 
and  is  the  second  city  in  size  on  the  Pacific 
coast.  Few  cities  in  the  world  have  ever 
increased,  with  as  good,  healthy,  substantial 
growth,  as  has  Oakland  within  the  last 
seven  or  eight  years.  According  to  the 
census  of  1870,  the  population  was  11,- 
104,  an  increase  in  eight  years  of  nearly 
thirty  thousand. 

What  Brooklyn,  New  York,  is  to  New 
York  City,  so  is  Oakland  to  the  city  of  San 
Francisco.  The  name  of  the  city  is  sig- 
nificant of  its  surroundings,  as  it  is  situated 
in  an  extensive  grove  of  evergreen  oaks, 
with  orchards,  paries,  gardens  and  vine- 
yards on  every  side.  Nestling  amidst  this 
forest  of  perpetual  green,  can  be  seen, 
peeping  out  here  and  there,  the  magnificent 
villa  of  the  nabob,  the  substantial  resi- 
dence of  the  wealthy  merchant,  and  the 
neat  and  tasteful  cottage  of  the  “ well-to- 
do  ” mechanic,  who  have  been  attracted 
here  by  its  grand  scenery,  mild  climate, 
and  quiet  surroundings — being  free  from 
dust,  noise,  or  the  bustle  of  a large  city  de- 
voted to  business. 

Oaklaod  is  lighted  with  gas;  has  broad, 
well-paved  streets;  is  abunclantly  supplied 
wiih  water;  supports  several  horse  rail- 
roads ; three  daily  newspapers — the  Trib- 
une^ Times,  and  the  Democrat,  and  is  pro- 
vided with  just  a score  of  churches.  The 
Masons,  Odd  Fellows,  and  many  of  the 
other  fellows  have  halls  and  hold  regular 
meetings. 

Public  and  private  schools  are  ample. 
The  higher  educational  institutions  com- 


prise the  University  of  California,  the  State 
University  School,  the  Female  College  of 
the  Pacittc,  the  Oakland  Military  School, 
the  Oakland  Female  Seminary,  and  the 
Convent  of  “Our  Lady  of  the  Sacred  Heart.” 
I he  University  of  California  is  at  Berkley, 
four  miles  distant.  It  is  constructed 
throughout  of  brick  and  iron — they  say, 
earthquake  and  fire-proof. 

Near  the  university,  towards  the  bay,  is 
located  the  State  Asylum  of  the  Deaf,  Dumb 
and  Blind,  it  is  a massive  stone  build  ng, 
three  stories  high,  300  feet  above  the  bay, 
and  commanding  a very  extensive  view. 
Oakland,  besides  its  attractions,  as  a place  of 
residence,  has  become  one  of  great  impor- 
tance as  a manutacturing city.  In  the  city 
and  suburbs  are  located  great  numbers  of 
all  kinds  of  manufactories,  some  very  ex- 
tensive, giving  employment  to  hundreds  of 
people.  We  have  it  Irom  the  best  authority, 
that  there  are  $4,850,000  invested  in  the 
manufacturing  business,  the  annual  pro- 
duct of  which  amounts  to  an  enormous 
sum.  The  Central  Pacific  Railroad  Com- 
pany completed  a road  called  the  Berkley 
Branch,  and  opened  it  for  business,  January 
9,  1878,  which  commences  at  the  end  of  the 
pier  at  West  Oakland,  and  runs  north  and 
eastward  around  mountains  of  the  Contra 
Costa  Range,  and  in  full  view  of  San  Pablo 
Bay,  to  Martinez,  35  miles  from  San  Fran- 
cisco. The  principal  stations  on  this  route 
are  Berkley,  11.08  miles  from  San  Fran- 
cisco; San  Pablo,  17.55  miles;  Martinez, 
35.55  miles.  When  the  line  from  Martinez 
is  completed  via  Benecia  to  Fairfield,  as 
referred  to  on  page  202,  it  is  quite  possible 
the  Overland  trains  will  be  changed  to  this 
new  route,  making  a saving  in  distance  of 
56  miles.  (See  map,  page  201.; 

The  principal  hotel  at  East  Oakland  is 
Tubbs’ ; at  Oakland,  the  Grand  Central.  At 
Oakland  Point,  from  which  the  long  pier 
is  built  out  into  the  bay,  are  located  the 
extensive  workshops  of  the  Central  Pacific. 
Their  yard,  and  grounds  occupy  120  acres 
of  land. 

Leaving  Oakland,  our  train  speeds  along 
through  the  edge  of  the  city  for  about  half 
a mile,  then  gradually  curves  to  the  south- 
ward running  out  to  meet  the  main  Oakland 
pier,  which  it  reaches,  1.4  miles  from  Oak- 
land, 1.6  miles  from  the  Oakland  end  of  the 
pier,  and  2.1  miles  from  the  end  of  the  pier 
to  the  westward.  Down  this  long  pier  rolls 
our  train,  directly  out  into  the  bay,  tow^ards 
the  setting  sun,  to  the  ferry-boat,  which 
conveys  passengers  over  the  waters,  3.7 


AND  PACIFIC  COAST  GUIDE. 


213 


miles  to  the  city  of  San  Francisco.  (See 
large  illustration  of  “ Birds  Eye  view  of 
San  Francisco,  and  surrounding  country.”) 

Oakland  Wharf— is  on  the  end  of 
this  pier.  Entil  the  building  of  a pier  at 
tliis  place,  the  only  harbor  of  Oakland  was 
to  the  eastward,  at  the  mouth  of  San 
Antonio  Creek,  the  water  to  the  westward 
being  quite  shallow  for  a long  distance 
from  shore.  The  ferry-boats  leave  and  ar- 
rive to  and  from  San  Francisco,  at  this 
wharf  every  half-hour,  and  trains,  many 
times  composed  of  18  or  20  passenger  cars, 
run  in  connection  with  the  boats  to  Oak- 
land, Berkley,  and  other  points. 

The  Pier — is  built  of  the  best  materials, 
and  in  the  most  substantial  manner,  with 
double  track  and  carriage-way  extending 
the  whole  length.  There  are  three  slips. 
The  one  to  the  north  is  600  feet  long,  and 
will  accommodate  the  largest  ships,  the 
water  being  2634  feet  depth  at  low  tide, 
and  32  at  high  tide.  On  each  side  of  the  slip 
are  erected  large  warehouses,  one  of  them 
600x52  feet,  the  other  500x52  feet  with 
tracks  running  through,  for  the  purpose  of 
[ loading  and  discharging, 
i The  next  slip  south  was  built  to  accom- 
I modate  the  “Thoroughfare.”  This 


steamer  was  designed  expressly  for  taking 
freight  cars  and  cattle  across  the  bay.  Her 
capacity  is  16  loaded  cars  and  pens  for  16 
car-loads  of  cattle — 288  head — making  32 
car-loads  in  all.  She  once  made  a trip 
across  the  bay,  loaded,  running  a distance 
of  three  and  a half  miles  in  22  minutes. 
The  boat  is  260  feet  on  deck,  88  feet  beam, 
with  flat  bottom.  The  engines  are  200 
horse  power ; cylinders,  22x84,  and  were  con- 
structed at  the  company’s  shops  in  Sacra- 
mento. 

The  south  slip  is  the  passenger  slip, 
where  lands  the  regular  ferry-boat  between 
Oakland  and  San  Francisco.  On  each 
side  of  this  slip  is  a passenger-house — one 
30x70  feet,  the  other  40x50  feet.  In  these 
buildings  are  located  the  division  offices  of 
the  Railroad  Company.  They  aftord  am'ple 
accommodations  for  passengers,  and  the 
enormous  travel,  the  advance  guard  of 
which  has  ow\j  just  commenced  to  arrive. 

The  first  ship  that  loaded  at  this  pier 
was  the  ‘'Jennie  Eastman,”  of  Bath,  Eng- 
land. She  commenced  loading  August 
4th,  1870,  for  Liverpool,  with  wheat, 
brouglit — some  from  San  Joaquin  Valley, 
but  the  greater  portion  from  the  end  of  the 
California  and  Oregon  railroad,  230  miles 


214 


crofutt’s  new  overland  tourist 


north  of  San  Francisco. 

It  is  hardly  understood  yet  by  the  people 
of  the  world,  that  the  China,  Japan,  Sand- 
wich Island,  and  Australian  steamships, 
and  ships  both  large  and  small,  can  land 
at  this  pier,  load  and  unload  from  and  into 
the  cars  of  the  Pacific  railroad ; and  those 
cars  can  be  taken  through,  to  and  from  the 
Atlantic  and  Pacific  Ocean,  without  change ; 
that  immense  quantities  of  goods  are  now 
transported  in  that  way,  much  of  them  in 
BOND,  in  one-tenth  the  time  heretofore  oc- 
cupied by  steamships  and  sailing  vessels. 
When  these  facts  are  fully  understood, 
and  the  necessary  arrangements  made, 
the  rush  of  overland  freight  traffic  will 
commence,  the  extent  of  which,  within  the 
next  twenty  years, if  any,  can  realize. 

From  the  landing  place  of  the  “Thorough- 
fare,” in  San  Francisco,  a rail  track  leads 
to  the  dock  of  the  Pacific  mail,  and  other 
ocean  steamships,  and  goods  are  now 
transferred  in  that  way  in  bond,  but  the 
time  is  not  far  distant,  when  all  foreign 
vessels,  with  goods  tor  “across  the  conti- 
nent,” will  land  at  this  pier. 

The  Railroad  Company  have  taken 
ample  precautions  against  fire  on  this  pier, 
by  providing  the  two  engines  that  are  em- 
plo^'^t  d doing  the  yard  work,  with  force- 
pump  attachments,  steam  from  the  loco- 
motive boilers,  and  supplied  with  reels  of 
hose  and  suction-pipe  so  arranged  that 
water  can  be  used  from  their  tanks  or  the 
bay. 

Behold ! — As  we  stand  at  the  end  of 
this  pier— almost  in  the  middle  of  San 
Francisco  Bay— and  think  back  only  thirty 
years,  we  are  lost  in  wonder  and  astonish- 
ment. Here  are  already  two  great  cities 
within  a few  miles  of  where  we  stand ; the 
srnallest  has  40,000,  while  the  largest  teems 
with  over  300,000  inhabitants  — repre- 
sentatives from  every  land  and  clime  on 
the^  face  of  the  earth.  In  1847  not  500 
white  settlers  could  be  found  in  as  many 
hundred  miles,  and  not  one  ship  a year 
visited  this  bay.  Now  there  are  seven 
large  steamships  in  the  China  trade,  six  in 
the  mail  service  via  Panama,  thirty-four 
more  regularly  engaged  on  the  coast  from 
Sitka,  on  the  north ; to  South  America, 
Honolulu,  Australia,  New  Zealand,  on  the 
south ; besides  hundred  of  ships  and  sail- 
ing vessels  of  every  description — all  busy — 
all  life.  Here,  too,  at  the  end  of  this  pier, 
is  the  extreme  western  end  of  the  grand 
system  of  American  railways  which  has 
sprung  into  existence  within  the  same 


thirty  years.  How  fast  we  live!  The 
gentle  breeze  of  to-day  was  the  whirlwind 
of  fifty  years  ago.  Will  we— can  we— con- 
tinue at  the  same  ratio  V But  why  specu- 
late? It  is  our  business  to  write  what  is 
taking  place  to-day;  so  we  will  now  step 
on  board  the  ferry-boat  and  take  a look 
around  while  crossing  the  bay. 

Goat  Island,  or  “ Yerba  Buena, is 
about  one  mile  distant  from  the  end  of  the 
pier,  close  to  the  right.  It  is  nearly  round, 
340  feet  altitude,  containing  850  acres.  It 
belongs  to  the  Govei  nment.  Beyond,  look- 
ing over  the  broad  expanse  of  water,  the 
niountains  of  Marin  county  loom  up  in  the 
distance,  the  highest  point  being  Mount 
Tamalpais,  2,604  feet  high.  It  is  in  the 
Coast  Range  of  mountains,  at  the  south 
point  of  which  is  Golden  Gate,  with  Al- 
catraz Island  in  the  foreground.  Directly 
in  front  is  the  city  of  San  Francisco.  The 
highest  point  to  the  right  is  Telegraph 
Hill — the  highest,  far  beyond,  a little  to 
the  left,  is  Lone  Mountain.  In  the  center, 
that  high  building,  looming  up  above  all 
others,  is  the  Palace  Hotel ; to  the  left  the 
Bay  of  San  Francisco. 

But  we  are  at  the  ferry ; here  passengers 
will  find  “buses”  for  all  prominent  hotels, 
or  street  cars  that  pass  them  all;  fare, 
five  cents. 

Nail  Brancii^co — Ah  ! here  we  are 
at  sundown,  at  the  extreme  western  city 
of  the  American  Continent.  Population, 
300,000,  and  increasing  rapidly. 

On  landing  at  the  ferry-slip  in  the  city, 
the  first  thing  required  is  a good  hotel. 
Now,  if  there  is  any  one  thing  that  San 
Francisco  is  noted  for  more  than  another  it 
is  for  its  palatial  hotels.  The  Palace,  Bald- 
win, Lick,  Occident,  Cosmopolitan  and 
Grand,  are  all  first-class,  both  in  fare  and 
price — charges  from  three  to  five  dollars 
per  day.  The  Brooklyn,  Russ,  American 
Exchange,  and  International,  are  good 
hotels,  at  charges  from  $2  to  $2.50  per  day. 
Then  there  are  a great  many  cheaper 
houses,  like  the  “What  Cheer,”  with  rooms 
from  25  to  75  cents  per  night,  with  restau- 
rant meals  to  order. 

San  Francisco  is  situated  on  the  north 
end  of  the  southern  peninsula,  which, 
with  the  northern  one,  separates  the  waters 
of  San  Francisco  Bay  from  those  of  the 
Pacific  Ocean.  Between  these  peninsulas 
is  the  GoTiDEN  Gate,  a narrow  strait,  one 
mile  wide,  with  a depth  of  30  feet,  con- 
necting the  bay  with  the  ocean. 

The  city  presents  a broken  aj^pearance, 


AND  PACIFIC  COAST  GUIDE. 


owing  to  a portion  being  built  on  the  hills, 
which  attain  quite  a respectable  altitude. 
Prom  the  tops  of  these  hills  a very  fair 
view  of  the  city  can  be  obtained. 

A large  portion  of  the  city  is  built  on 
land  made  by  filling  out  into  the  bay. 
Where  the  large  warehouses  now  stand, 
ships  of  the  heaviest  tonnage  could  ride  in 
safety  but  a few  years  ago.  To  protect  this 
made  land,  and  also  to  prevent  the  anchor- 
age from  being  destroyed,  a sea-wall  has 
been  built  in  front  of  the  city. 

The  climate  is  unsurpassed  by  that  of 
any  large  sea-port  town  in  the  United 
States — uniformity  and  dryness  constitu- 
ting its  chief  claim  to  superiority.  There 
is  but  little  rain  during  the  year — only 
about  half  that  of  the  Eastern  States.  The 
mean  temperature  is  54  deg.,  the  variation 
being  but  10  deg.  during  the  year. 

San  Francisco,  in  early  days,  suffered 
fearfully  from  fires.  The  city  was  almost 
completely  destroyed  at  six  different  times 
during  the  years  of  1849,  ’50,  ’51,  and  1852. 
The  destruction  has  been  estimated  in 
round  numbers  to  exceed  $26,000,000.  The 
result  of  these  fires  has  been  that  nearly  all 
the  buildings  built  since  1852  have  been 
built  of  brick,  stone,  or  iron — particularly 
in  the  business  portion.  The  city  has 
many  magnific  ent  private  residences,  and 
cosy  \\\X\q  home  cottages,  ornamented  with 
evergreens,  creeping  vines,  and  beautiful 
flowers.  The  yards  or  grounds  are  laid 
out  very  tastefully,  with  neat  graveled 
walks,  mounds,  statues,  ponds,  and  spark- 
ling fountains,  where  the  crystal  waters 
flow.” 

The  first  house  was  built  in  San  Fran- 
cisco in  1835.  The  place  was  then  called 
“ Yuba  Buena” — changed  to  San  Francisco 
in  1847,  before  the  discovery  of  gold.  The 
city  is  well  built  and  regularly  laid  out 
north  of  Market  street,  which  divides  the 
city  into  two  sections.  South  of  this 
the  streets  have  an  eastern  declination  as 
compared  with  those  running  north.  The 
city  is  situated  in  latitude  37  deg.  48  sec. 
north;  longitude,  120  deg.  27  min.  west. 

The  principal  wharves  are  on  the  east- 
ern side  of  the  city,  fronting  this  made 
land.  North  Point  has  some  good  wharves, 
but  from  the  business  portion  the  steep 
grade  of  the  city  is  a great  objection. 

The  city  is  amply  supplied  with  schools, 
both  public  and  private.  There  is  no  in- 
stitution of  the  city  wherein  the  people 
take  more  interest  and  pride;  none,  of  the 
credit  and  honor  of  which  they  are  more 


215 


jealous.  Some  of  the  finest  buildings  of 
the  city  were  built  for  school  purposes,  the 
Denman  and  Lincoln  school  houses  being 
the  finest  of  the  number, 

There  are  churches  of  all  kinds,  creeds, 
and  beliefs,  including  several  Chinese 
“Joss  Houses.”  The  Jewish  synagogue  is 
the  finest  among  them,  situated  on  Sutter 
street. 

The  Newspaper,  and  Magazine,  are 
the  histories  of  the  present,  and  the  person 
who  does  not  read  them  must  be  ignorant 
indeed.  Californians  are  a reading  people ; 
and  he  that  comes  uere  to  find  fools  brings 
his  brain  to  a very  poor  market. 

There  are  in  the  city  65  newspapers  and 
periodicals,  thirteen  of  which  are  daily. 
The  dailies  are  the  Alta  Galiforniaii.^  the 
Bulletin^  Morning  Gall,  Morning  Ghroni- 
cle,  Post,  Examiner,  Abend  Post  (German), 
Demokrat  (German),  Gourrierde  San  Fran- 
cisco (French),  Mail,  Stock  Exchange,  Stock 
Report,  and  the  Galifornia  News  Notes, 
illustrated.  The  Golden  Bra,  and  Spirit  of 
the  Times,  are  weekly  literary  and  sporting 
papers.  The  News  Letter,  and  the  Argo- 
naut, are  spicy  weeklies.  The  Mining 
and  Scientific  Press,  and  the  Pacific  Rural 
Press,  are  first-class  weekly  journals  in 
their  specialties.  Here,  too,  is  published, 
the  J ournal  of  Gommerce,  Gommercial  Her- 
ald, and  the  Pacific  Life,  weeklies.  The 
Goast  Reriew  is  the  great  insurance  author- 
ity of  the  Pacific  coast — monthly.  Here 
too,  is  Wentworth’s  Resources  of  Galifornia, 
an  invaluable  journal.  If  among  all 
these  publications  you  can  find  nothing  to 
suit  you — nothing  neio — why,  then,  sur- 
prise the  Bible,  by  reading  it,  and  you  may 
profit  by  its  teachings. 

The  Markets  of  San  Francisco  are  one 
of  the  features  cf  the  city ; those  who  never 
saw  the  fruit  and  vegetables  of  California 
should  visit  the  markets.  No  other 
country  can  produce  fruit  in  such  pro- 
fusion and  perfection.  The  grapes,  peaches, 
pears,  etc.,  on  exhibition  in  the  city  mar- 
kets, represent  the  best  productions  of  all 
parts  of  the  State. 

“Frisco”  Brevities — The  new  City 
Hall  is  on  Market  street.  California  street 
is  the  Wall  street  of  the  city.  The  Branch 
Mint  of  the  United  States  is  located  in  the 
new  building,  northwest  corner  Mission 
and  5th  streets.  The  Post  Office  and 
Custom  House  are  on  Washington  street. 
Merchants’  Exchange  Building  is  on 
California  street.  The  Old  Stock  Ex- 
change is  on  Pine  street;  the  New  Stock 


crofutt’s  new  overland  tourist 


216 


Exchange  is  in  Leidsclorft’  street.  Horse 
cars  run  to  all  important  points  in  the  city; 
fare,  five  cents.  Mission  Bay  is  two  miles 
south  of  the  City  Hall.  Market  street  is 
the  Broadway  of  San  Francisco,  though 
Kearney  street  disputes  the  honor. 

The  Palace  Hotel  is  corner  Market  and 
Hew  Montgomery  streets  ; (see  description, 
‘‘Annex”  Ho.  49,)  the  Baldwin  Hotel, 
corner  Powell  and  Market  streets.  The  Cali- 
fornia Theatre  is  on  Bush  street,  also  the 
Bush  street  Theatre.  The  Baldwin  (Thea- 
tre) is  on  the  corner  of  Market  and  Powell 
streets.  There  are  three  Chinese  Theatres, 
where  many  of  the  “ tricks  that  are  vain,” 
are  perfoi  med  nightly,  which  few  can  under- 
stand, yet  they  are  worth  one  visit. 

Water  for  the  city’s  use  is  obtained  from 
Pillarcitos  Creek,  20  miles  south  ot  the  city, 
in  San  Mateo  county;  Lake  Honda,  five 
miles  south,  being  used  as  a reservoir.  Yet 
there  are  many  wells,  the  water  being  ele- 
vated by  wind-mills. 

The  Libraries  are  numerous.  The 
Mercantile,  on  Bush  street ; the  Odd  Fel- 
lows, on  Montgomery  street;  the  Me- 
chanics’ Institute,  on  Post  street;  the  What 
Cheer,  at  the  “ What  Cheer  House,”  and 
the  Young  Men’s  Christian  Association,  are 
the  principal  ones,  open  free  to  tourists 
upon  application.  Secret  Orders  are 
numerous  m San  Francisco — too  numerous 
to  note  here. 

The  Baldwin  Hotel,  under  the  manage- 
ment of  Bice,  is  a perfect  gem  of  a house 
and  the  beau-ideal  of  a “ Happy  Hunting 
Ground.”  The  magnificent  views  of  Cape 
Horn,  on  the  Columbia  Biver,  Mt.  Shasta, 
the  Loop,  Orange  Orchard,  Woman  of  the 
Period,  and  many  others  in  this  book  were, 
photographed  by  C.  E.  Watkins,  26  Mont- 
gomejy  street,  who  has  an  enormous  col- 
lection of  views.  The  views  of  Mirror 
Lake,  Hevada  Palls,  and  many  of  those  on 
the  line  of  tbe  Central  Pacific,  which  we 
have  engraved  and  are  to  be  found  in  this 
book,  were  from  photographs  taken  by 
Thos.  Houseworth  & Co.,  Ho.  12  Mont- 
gomery street,  who  have  views,  seemingly, 
of  every  thing  and  every  body  on  the  coast. 

The  Mechanics’  Pavilion  fronts  on 
Geary  street,  and  covers  one  block  of 
ground.  The  Mechanics’  Institute  own 
the  building,  and  hold  their  fairs  there. 

The  Dry  Dock,  at  Hunter’s  Point,  six 
miles  southeast,  is  465  feet  long,  125  feet 
wide  and  40  feet  deep,  cut  in  solid  rock, 
at  a cost  of  $1,200,000. 

Protrero  Ship  Yards  are  located  at 


Protrero,  and  are  reached  by  the  city  cars. 
All  kinds  of  small  craft  for  the  coast  service 
are  built  at  these  yards. 

China  Town  is  situated  on  Sacramento, 
above  Kearny;  Dupont,  between  Sacra- 
mento and  Washington  streets,  and  Jack- 
son  street,  between  Dupont  and  Kearny. 
These  streets  are  occupied  exclusively  by 
Celestial  shopkeepers,  “Heathen  Chinese.” 

The  Barbary  Coast,  a noted  resort  for 
thieves,  cut-throats  and  the  vilest  of  the 
vile,  is  situated  on  Pacific  street,  between 
Kearny  and  Dupont  streets.  We  give  the 
precise  locality,  so  that  our  readers  may 
keep  away.  Give  it  a “ wide  herthf  as  you 
value  your  life. 

Angel  Island,  three  miles  north  of  the 
city,  is  a mile  and  a half  in  length  and 
three-quarters  of  a mile  wide;  altitude  771 
feet.  On  this  island  are  quarries  of  brown 
and  blue  stone,  wliich  are  extensively  used 
in  the  city  for  building  purposes. 

Goat  Island,  or  “Yerba  Buena,”  two 
and  a half  miles  east,  nearly  round,  con 
tains  350  acres;  altitude,  340  feet. 

Alcatraz  Island,  a mile  and  a quar 
north,  is  strongly  fortified.  Thesummiii 
140  feet  above  tide,  surrounded  by  a belt  o 
batteries,  which  command  the  entrance  tc 
the  harbor— a “key  to  the  position.”  These  > 
islands  are  all  owned  by  the  Government  ? 

Point  Labose  is  six  miles  west.  I 

Fort  Point  is  northwest  from  the  Citj 
Hall,  five  miles  at  the  south  end  of  Goldei 
Gate.  It  is  the  most  heavily  fortified  oi 
the  coast — on  the  plan  of  Fort  Sumter,  ii 
South  Carolina. 

Telegraph  Hill,  to  the  north,  is  394 
feet  high. 

Bussian  Hill  is  360  feet  high. 

Clay  St.  Hill  is  376  feet  high. 

The  Twin  Peaks,  four  miles  southwest 
rise  1,200  feet.  The  visitor  can  obtaij 
from  the  summit  of  these  peaks  a fine  vie^ 
of  the  whole  country  for  many  mile 
around  the  Golden  Gate,  and  the  Grea 
Pacific  Ocean. 

Ferry-boats  run  regularly  between  San 
Francisco  and  Oakland,  Alameda,  San 
Quentin,  Berkley,  Sancelito. 

The  general  office  of  the  “ Central  ” and 
Southern  Pacific  railroad  companies  is 
cor.  Townsend  and  Fourth  streets,  on  the 
south  side  of  the  city;  several  street  car 
lines  run  by  them. 

The  Seal  Bocks  are  six  miles  west, 
reached  by  a beautiful  road. 

Steamers  leave  regularly  for  Vallejo,  26 
miles;  Benicia,  30;  Petaluma,  48;  Santa 


AND  PACIFIC  COAST  GUIDE.  217 


Cruz,  76;  Monterey,  100;  Stockton,  110; 
Sacramento,  125;  San  Luis  Obispo,  209; 
Eureka,  233;  Crescent  City,  280;  Santa 
Barbary,  280 ; San  Pedro,  364 ; San  Diego, 
450;  Portland,  642;  Victoria,  V.  I.,  753; 
Mazatlan,  1,480;  Guaymas,  1,710;  La  Paz, 
1,802,  Acapulco,  1,808:  Sitka,  1,951 ; Hono- 
lulu, 2,090;  Panama,  3,230;  Yokohama, 
4,764;  Hiogo,  5,104;  Auckland,  5,907; 
Shanghae,  5,964 ; Hong  Kong,  6,384 ; Sid- 
ney, Australia,  7,183;  Melbourne,  7,700 
miles. 

The  Plaza,  Washington,  Union,  Co- 
lumbia, Lobos,  Hamilton,  and  Alamo 
Squares,  and  Y erba  Buena,  Beuna  Y ista, 
and  Golden  Gate  Parks,  are  all  small,  ex- 
cept the  last,  which  contains  1,100  acres, 
hut  very  little  improved.  The  Oakland 
and  Alameda  parks  are  largely  patronized 
by  San  Franciscans,  who  reach  them  by 
ferry-boat.  But  what  the  city  is  deficient 
in  parks,  is  made  up  by  the  Woodward 
Gardens,  for  an  account  of  which  see 
Annex  ISTo.  44. 

Ocean  Steamships — for  sailing  days  and 
other  particulars,  see  Annex  No.  27. 

For  general  items  of  interest,  see  Annex 
No.  23. 


Here  we  are,  on  the  golden  shoi'es  of 
California.  We  have  come  with  the 
traveler  from  tha  far  East  to  the  far  West ; 
from  the  Atlantic  to  the  Pacific — from 
where  the  sun  rises  out  of  the  waters  to 
where  it  sets  in  the  waters,  covering  an  ex- 
tent of  country  hundreds  of  miles  in  width, 
and  recording  a telegram  of  the  most  im- 
portant places  and  objects  of  interest — 
brief  necessarily,  hut  to  the  point — and  we 
feel  certain  that  a pardon  would  be  granted 
by  the  reader,  if  we  now  bade  this  country 
farewell,  and  started  on  our  return  trip. 
But,  how  can  we  V It  is  a glorious  country, 
so  let  us  make  a few 

and  then  we  will  start  on  our  trip 
towards  Sunrise,  via  the  Southern  Route. 

lloute  1 .—To  the  Seal  RocKS,six  miles 
west;  procure  a carriage.  Early  in  the 
morning  is  the  best  time  to  start,  as  the 
coast  breeze  commences  about  eleven 
o’clock,  after  which  it  will  not  be  so 
pleasant.  We  will  be  fashionable — get  up 
early — and  drive  out  to  the  “ Cliff  House” 
for  breakfast. 

Within  the  first  two  miles  and  a half,  we 
pass  a number  of  cemeteries ; some  of  them 
contain  beautiful  monuments  and  are  very 


tastefully  ornamented.  The  principal  ones 
are  the  Lone  Mountain,  Laurel  Hill  and 
Odd  Fellows.  In  the  Lone  Mountain 
cemetery,  on  our  right,  under  that  tall  and 
most  conspicuous  monument,  which  can 
be  seen  for  many  miles  away,  rests  the  re- 
mains of  the  lamented  Senator  Broderick, 
who  fell  a victim  of  the  “ Code  Duello,” 
through  jealousy  and  political  strife.  Near 
by  are  the  monuments  of  Starr  King, 
Baker,  and  many  others,  whose  lives  and 
services  have  done  honor  to  the  State.  On 
the  summit  of  Lone  Mountain,  to  the  left, 
stands  a large  cross,  which  is  a noted  land- 
mark, and  can  be  seen  from /tir  out  to  sea. 

In  a little  valley,  close  to  the  road,  we 
pass,  on  the  right,  surrounded  by  a high 
fence,  one  of  the  most  noted  Race  Courses 
in  the  State. 

From  the  city  the  road  leads  over  a suc- 
cession of  sand-hills;  from  the  sumnait  of 
some  of  these  we  catch  an  occasional 
glimpse  of  the  ^^Big  Brink'''  in  the  distance, 
the  view  seeming  to  improve  as  we  gain 
the  summit  of  each,  until  the  last  one  is 
reached,  when  there,  almost  at  our  feet, 
stretching  away  farther  than  the  eye  can 
penetrate,  lies  the  great  Pacific  Ocean,  in 
all  its  mysterious  majesty.  We  will  be 
sure  to  see  numerous  ships,  small  craft 
and  steamers,  the  latter  marked  by  a long 
black  trail  of  smoke.  They  are  a portion 
of  the  world’s  great  merchant  marine, 
which  navigate  these  mighty  waters,  going 
and  coming,  night  and  day,  laden  with  the 
treasure,  and  the  productions  and  repre- 
sentatives of  every  nation,  land  and  clime. 

Close  on  our  right  is  the  Golden  Gate, 
with  the  bold  dark  bluffs  of  the  northern 
peninsula  beyond.  The  “Gate”  is  open, 
an  invitation  to  all  nations  to  enter — but 
beside  them  are  the  “ Boys  in  Blue,”  with 
ample  fortifications,  surmounted  by  the 
“Bull  Dogs”  of  “Uncle  Sam,”  standing 
ready  to  close  them  at  the  first  signal  of 
danger. 

Our  descent  from  the  summit  of  the  last 
hill  seems  rapid,  as  we  are  almost  lost  in 
admiration  of  the  magnificence  spread  out 
before  us,  until  we  arrive  at  the 

Cliff  House — The  stranger  on  the  road, 
and  at  the  Cliff  House,  would  think  it  a 
gala  day — something  unusual,  such  grand 
“turn-outs,”  and  so  many.  The  fact  is, 
this  “Drive”  is  to  the  San  Franciscan 
what  the  “ Central  Park  ” is  to  the  New 
Yorker — the  “style”  of  the  former  is  not 
to  be  outdone  by  the  latter.  The  drive  out 
is  always  a cool  one,  and  the  first  thing 


CROPUTT’s  NEW-  OVERLAND  TOURIST 

usually  done  on  arriving  is  to  take  a drink — 
water — and  then,  order  breakfast — and  such 
nice  little  private  breakfast  rooms!  Oh, 
these  Californians  know  how  to  tickle  vour 
fancy. 

Hark!  “ Toi-Hoi,  Toiy  What 

the  deuce  is  that  ? Those  hearing  us,  smile. 
We  do  not  ask,  but  we  conclude  it  must 
be  a big  herd  of  healthy  donkeys  passing, 
when  two  gentlemen  enter  from  the  rear, 
and  one  of  them  says : “ Colonel,  {there  is 
no  lower  grade  in  Galifornia)  i will  bet 
you  50  shares  in  the  Ophir  or  Virginia 
Consolidated,  that  General  Grant,  that  big 
seal  on  the  top  of  the  rock,  will  weigh 
3,000  pounds.”  We  did  not  stop  to  hear 
more,  but  rushed  out  the  back  door  on  to  a 
long  veranda  running  the  whole  length  of 
the  house,  which  is  situated  on  a project- 
ing cliff,  200  feet  above,  and  almost  over- 
hanging the  waters,  when  “ Yoi-Hoi,  Toi- 
Hoi,  Yoi^' — and  there  were  our  donkeys, 
500  yards  away,  laying  on,  scrambling  up, 
plunging  off,  fighting,  and  sporting  around 
three  little  rocky  islands.  The  largest  of 
these  islands  is  called  “Santo  Domingo.” 
It  is  quite  steep;  few  can  climb  it.  A 
sleek,  dark-looking  seal,  which  they  call 
Ben.  Butler,  has  at  times  attempted  it;  but 
away  up  on  the  very  top— basking  in  the 
sun,  with  an  occasional  “ Yoi-hoi,  hoyi^' — 
lies  General  Grant,  the  biggest  whopper 
of  them.  all.  We  knew  him  at  the  first 
sight.  He  had  something  in  his  mouth, 
and  looked  wise.  Often  when  the  din  of 
his  fellow  seals  below  become  fearful, 
who  are  ever  quarreling  in  their  efforts  to 
climb  up,  his  Yoi-hoi,  Boyi’’’*  can  be 

heard  above  them  all— which,  in  seal 
language,  means,  “ Let  us  have  peace.'^’’ 
Sea  fowls  in  large  numbers  are  hovering 
on  and  around  these  rocks.  They,  too,  are 
very  chattering,  but  we  have  no  time  to 
learn  their  language,  as  here  comes  a 
steamer  bound  for  China.  (See  illustration, 
page  219.)  ^ It  steams  in  close  to  the  islands, 
and  we  think  we  can  discern  some  of  our 
fellow  travelers  “across  the  continent” 
among  the  passengers.  They  are  on  a trip 
“ around  the  world,”  and  are  waving  their 
compliments  to  the  General  on  the  top  of 
the  rock. 

Just  around  that  projecting  point  of  land 
to  the  northwest  are  Farallones  Islands, 
seven  in  number,  thirty  miles  distant,  in 
the  Pacific  Ocean,  totally  barren  of  every- 
thing but  seals,  sea-lions,  and  water-fowls. 
These  are  very  numerous.  Many  of  the 
seals  will  weigh  from  2,000  to  3,000  lbs.. 

and  are  quite  tame  (see  illustration,  page 
99),  as  they  have  never  been  disturbed 
by  ^ hunters ; the  birds  — and  they  are 
legion  -which  inhabit  these  islands,  lay 
millions  of  eggs  every  year,  which,  until 
1871,  were  gathered  and  sold  in  the  San 
Francisco  markets.  The  islands  are  all 
rocks;  the  highest  peak  is  surmounted 
with  a lighthouse  of  the  first  order,  340 
feet  above  the  water. 

Breakfast  is  called;  being  fashionable, 
we  take  another — water — and,  while  eating 
a hearty  meal,  learn  that  these  seals  are 
protected  by  the  laws  of  the  State  against 
capture,  and  something  of  their  habits; 
then  pay  our  bill,  and  the  ostler  his  de- 
tainer, take  our  seat,  and  whirl  around 
over  a broad  winding  road,  which  is  blasted 
out  of  the  rocky  bluff'  on  our  left  to  the 
sandy  beach  below. 

Right  here  we  meet  Old  Pacific  Ocean 
himself — face  to  face  — near  enough  to 
shake.''''  He  is  a good  fellow  when  he  is 
himself— pacific — but  he  drinks  a great 
deal,  perhaps  too  much ; but  certain  it  is 
he  gets  very  noisy  at  times — very  turbu- 
lent. In  driving  along  the  beach,  we  come 
to  one  of  the  evidences  of  his  fearful 
wrath.  Do  you  see  that  ship  laying  on  her 
side? 

One  night,  after  a big  carousal,  when  it 
was  said  Old  Pacific  had  been  drinking  a 
great  deal — more  than  usual — and  was  in 
a towering  passion,  he  drove  this  ship 
up  almost  high  and  dry  on  the  beach, 
where  you  see  her.  Not  content  with  that, 
he  chased  the  escaping  occupants  far  into 
the  sand  hills,  throwing  spars,  masts,  and 
rigging  after  them. 

Thank  you!  We  don’t  want  any  of  that 
kind  of  pacific  in  ours. 

^ We  will  now  keep  our  eye  on  Old  Pa- 
cific, and  drive  along  down  the  beach,  by 
several  fine  hotels,  and  then  turn  into  the 
sand-hills  to  the  left,  passing  over  a high 
point,  where  some  fine  views  can  be  had 
of  the  surrounding  country,  and  around  to 
the  old  Mission  Dolores.  Here  is  food  for 
the  curious.  But  we  cannot  afford  to  stop 
here  long,  as  Boreas  is  getting  waked  up, 
and  is  sliding  the  sand  over  the  bluffs 
after  us — rather  disagreeable.  This  Mis- 
sion was  founded  in  1775,  by  Spanish  mis- 
sionaries, who,  for  over  60  years,  wielded  a 
mighty  influence  among  the  native  Cali- 
fornians (Indians).  In  its  most  prosperous 
days,  the  Mission  possessed  76,000  head  of 
stock  cattle,  2,920  horses,  820  mules, 
79,000  sheep,  2,000  hogs,  456  yoke  of  work- 

SEAL  ROCKS— FROM  THE  CLIFF  HOUSE.  See  page  2l8 


220  crofutt’s  new  overland  tourist 


ing  oxen,  180,000  bushels  of  wheat  and 
barley,  besides  $75,000  worth  of  merchan- 
dize and  hard  cash. 

The  greater  portion  of  all  this  wealth 
was  confiscated  by  the  Mexican  Govern- 
ment, so  that  when  California  became  a 
portion  of  the  United  States  little  re- 
mained, except  these  old  adobe  walls  and 
grounds,  together  with  about  600  volumes 
of  old  Spanish  books,  manuscripts  and 
records. 

Returning  to  the  city,  we  pass  many 
objects  of  interest  well  worthy  of  notice, 
and  through  a portion  of  the  city  rapidly 
building  up,  and  in  a substantial  manner. 


Haute  2, — ^At  the  wharf,  beside  Oak- 
land Ferry,  we  will  find  one  of  the  large 
steamboats  that  run  in  connection  with  the 
Vallejo  route;  let  us  step  on  board,  and 
note  what  can  be  seen.  Leaving  the  wharf, 
our  course  is  north,  with  the  Oakland 
wharf,  the  route  by  which  we  come — far  to 
the  right,  as  also  Goat  Island.  On  our 
left  is  Alcatraz,  with  its  heavy  fortifications, 
beyond  which  is  the  Golden  Gate ; a little 
farther  to  the  northward,  is  the  Coast 
Range,  with  Mt.  Tamalpais  as  the  high- 
est peak ; elevation,  2,604  feet. 

Looking  back,  we  have  a beautiful  view 
of  the  city;  a little  further  on,  Oakland, 
West  Oakland,  and  Berkley  on  the  right, 
with  the  Contra  Costa  Mountains  for  a 
back-ground.  Now  we  pass — on  the  left — 
Angel  Island,  San  Quintin,  and  San  Rafael, 
in  the  order  written.  Now  comes  the 
“Grandfather,”  a huge  red  rock  on  the 
left,  above  the  “Old  Man  and  Woman.” 

Continuing  on,  we  come  to  the  “ Two 
Brothers,”  on  which  is  located  San  Pablo 
light-house;  beyond  these  are  the  “Two 
Sisters,”  making  seven  rocky  islands. 
Opposite  the  light-house,  on  the  right,  is 
Point  Pedro,  which  projects  out  from  the 
mountains  on  the  east,  far  to  the  westward, 
as  though  to  bar  our  progress. 

Rounding  this  “point,”  we  enter  San 
Pablo  Bay,  which  spreads  out  to  the  right 
and  left  for  many  miles.  Away  to  the  far 
right  can  be  seen  a portion  of  the  town  of 
North  Berkley,  and  further  north,  San 
Pablo,  through  which  runs  the  Berkley 
branch  of  the  “ Central  ” to  Martinez,  as 
before  noted,  under  Oakland. 

Passing  on,  we  come  in  front  of  the 
Straits  of  Carquinez,  through  which  flows 
the  Sacramento  River — as  noted  on  page 
200.  We  have  left  a broad  expanse  of 
water  on  our  left,  over  which  steamers  run 


to  Petaluma — as  noted  in  route  No.  3. 

Entering  through  a narrow  channel* 
with  Mare  Island  close  on  our  left,  we 
land  at  the  wharf  at  Vallejo,  take  the  cars 
of  the  California  Pacific,  and  roll  along  to 
the  Napa  Valley  Junction,  where  we  were 
before,  while  making  a trip  over  the 
“ Vallejo  Route.”  (See  page  202.) 

Napa  Junction— by  this  route  it  is 
33.55  miles  from  San  Francisco,  and  52.87 
from  Sacramento.  Leaving  the  Junction 
we  roll  up  the  beautiful  valley  3.74  miles  to 

Thompson — a signal  station,  passed  by 
our  train,  as  also  many  groves  of  young 
trees  on  our  right,  and  beauty  on  every 
side.  From  Thompson  it  is  4.12  miles  to 

Napa  City  — Although  this  is  Napa 
City,  county  seat  of  Napa  county,  on  Napa 
River,  and  the  Napa  Valley  railroad,  the 
people  by  no  means  look  sleepy,  but  as 
bright  as  though  they  had  just  come  out  of 
a nap,  ox  from  a “nip.” 

This  is  a lively  town,  of  about  5,000 
inhabitants,  at  the  head  of  tide-water  navi- 
gation for  vessels  and  steamers  of  light 
draught ; supporting  one  daily  paper,  the 
Reporter,  and  one  weekly,  the  Record. 

It  is  in  the  midst  of  a country  noted 
for  its  mild  and  genial  climate,  the  great 
fertility  of  its  soil,  and  its  many  well- 
cultivated  vineyards — producing  annually 
over  300,000  gallons  of  wine  and  brandy. 
It  is  completely  hedged  in  by  various 
spurs  of  the  Coast  Range.  The  valley  is 
about  40  miles  in  length,  by  an  average 
width  of  four  miles.  This  county  is  much 
distinguished  for  its  medicinal  springs,  the 
most  noted  of  which  are  the  Soda  Springs, 
White  Sulphur,  and  the  Calistoga.  Near 
all  these  springs  huge  hotels  have  been 
erected,  which  are  crowded  in  sum- 
mer by  residents -of  this  State,  as  well  as 
tourists  from  the  East,  who  visit  them  for 
health  and  pleasure. 

At  the  head  of  this  valley  — in  plain 
view — is  located  Mt.  St.  Helena,  an  extinct 
volcano,  which  rises  3,243  feet  above  tide. 
The  whole  section  around-about  bears  evi- 
dences of  the  volcanic  upheaval  that  once 
lit  up  this  whole  country. 

Near  Napa  City  is  located  one  of  the  two 
State  Insane  Asylums — we  found  the  other 
near  Stockton — completed  at  a cost  of 
over  $1,000,000,  and  capable  of  accommo- 
dating 800  persons.  It  is  of  brick,  and 
stands  on  an  eminence  about  a mile  and  a 
half  from  the  city,  to  the  east.  Four  first- 
class  seminaries  and  colleges — for  the  edu- 
cation of  girls  and  boys — besides  many 


AND  PACIFIC  COAST  GUIDE. 


221 


public  schools,  are  at  Napa,  so  educational 
advantages  are  all  right. 

Among  the  good  things  at  Napa,  are  the 
Palace  and  Revere  hotels,  the  tir^t  named, 
a very  large  house  near  the  depot. 

The  Soda  Springs  are  situated  about  six 
miles  to  the  eastward,  on  the  side  of  the 
mountain.  The  water  from  these  springs 
has  become  quite  celebrated;  a large 
amount  of  it  being  bottled  annually,  and 
shipped  to  all  parts  of  the  State. 

Stages  leave  Napa  daily  for  Sonoma,  12 
miles  west,  continuing  to  Santa  Rosa,  12 
miles  further ; also  to  Monticello,  25  miles ; 
Knoxville,  50  miles  northeast. 

Leaving  Napa,  we  cross  Napa  Creek, 
and  roll  along  through  rows  ol  locust 
trees,  planted  on  ench  side  of  the  road, 
and  on  the  right  are  to  be  seen  a few  mam- 
moth cactus  pads,  close  to  the  track.  A 
run  of  5.1  miles  and  we  come  to 

Oak  Knoll— the  country  residence  of 
Mr  Woodward,  of  Woodward  Gardens, 
San  Francisco.  The  farm  contains  1,000 
acres,  nearly  all  under  cultivation.  Of 
this  farm  120  acres  are  devoted  to  fruit  and 
nuts  of  many  varieties. 

Crossing  Dry  Creek  we  come  to  a black- 
berry ranche  of  twelve  acres,  as  many 
people  in  this  valley  make  a specialty  of 
raising  blackberries.  Oaks,  manzanitas, 
and  pines,  now  appear  in  peaces. 

From  Oak  Knoll,  it  is  3.52  miles  to 

Youtsville — Here,  on  the  left  is  a large 
wine  cellar,  built  of  brick ; near  by  are 
large  vineyards;  further,  comes  Mason’s 
vineyard  of  100  acres,  mostly  raisin  grapes, 
which  are  prepared  and  packed  here  for 
market.  A run  of  3.39  miles  and  we 
are  at 

Oakville — Opposite,  on  the  side  of  the 
mountain,  can  be  seen  a quicksilver  mine, 
marked  by  a red  formation. 

Rutherford — is  the  next  station,  1.95 
miles  from  the  last.  Fine  residences  line 
the  foot  of  the  mountain  on  each  side,  the 
whole  length  of  the  valley,  many  com- 
pleh  ly  embowered  in  shade  and  fruit  trees 
of  several  varieties. 

Passing  on,  we  find  another  large  wine 
cellar  on  the  right,  and  1.94  mi  es  from 
Rutherford  comes  Bello — a signal  station 
with  vineyards  and  another  big  wine 
cellar. 

Passing  along  through  this  beautiful 
valley,  with  huge  moss-covered  oaks,  vine- 
yards and  fields  on  each  side,  2.07  miles  is 

St.  Helena  — This  is  a town  of 
about  1,200  population,  on  the  western 


side  of  the  valley,  in  the  midst  of  vine- 
yards; in  fact,  there  are  vineyards  and 
orchards  in  ever}’’  direction,  some  embrac- 
ing hundreds  of  acres.  Near  by  is  the  gr^at 
vineyard  and  orange  orchard  of  Kinsr. 

The  town  has  'many  neat  residences, 
and  one  weekly  ])aper,  the  Star.  The 
White  Sulphur  Springs  are  situated  about 
two  miles  west  of  the  town,  to  which 
“busses”  run  regularly.  The  White  Sul- 
phur Hotel  is  I he  place  to  stop. 

Leaving  St.  Hele  a,  we  come  to  a farm 
of  500  acres,  115  acres  of  which  are  in  a 
vineyard.  Here,  on  the  left,  is  another 
large  wine  cellar,  near  the  road.  This  val- 
ley, particularly  this  portion,  is  caked 
“ safe  land,”  meaning  thereby  that  it  can 
always  be  depended  up*  n for  a crop,  as  the 
fall  of  rain  is  sufficient  every  year  to  raise 
a crop,  and  irrigation  is  unnecessary. 
Barro,  a signal  station,  is  1.98  miles 
further,  where  the  valley  is  about  two  miles 
in  width,  with  vineyardc  extending  av\ay 
up  on  the  side  of  the  hills.  From  Barro  it 
is  2.1  miles  to  Bale,  another  side-track  of 
little  interest  to  the  tourist,  1.53  miles  from 
Walnut  Grove,  still  another  small  signal 
station.  Oaks  are  thick  along  these  hot 
toms,  and  present  a beautiful  appearance. 
Occasionally  we  will  see  the  madrone  and 
a few  Monteray  cypress,  with  some  eu- 
calyptus trees, 

Napa  Creek,  which  has  been  along  the 
road  on  either  one  side  or  the  other,  the 
whole  length  of  the  valley,  has  dwindled 
down  to  nothing. 

Continuing  on,  up  through  beauty  on 
every  hand,  2.86  miles  from  the  last  station, 
we  arrive  at  the  end  of  the  road  at 

Calistoga — which  is  the  most  popular  of 
all  the  summer  resorts,  near  the  bay.  The 
springs  are  just  east  of  the  depot,  the  water 
of  which  is  hot  enough  to  boil  an  egg  in 
two  minutes,  and  are  said  to  possess  great 
medicinaJ.  qualities,  having  already  won  a 
high  local  reputation.  In  the  town,  every 
accommodation  in  the  way  of  hotels,  etc., 
is  aftbrded  to  the  numerous  visitors  who 
annually  gather  here  to  drink  and  bathe  in 
the  invigorating  water,  enjoy  the  unsur- 
passed hunting  and  fishing  in  the  vicinity, 
and  above  all,  to  breathe  the  pure  air  of  the 
charming  little  valley,  while  viewing  the 
beautiful  mountain  scenery. 

The  population  of  the  town  is  about  500 ; 
the  principal  hotels  are  the  Magnolia  and 
Cosmopolitan;  the  paper  which  is  sup- 
posed to  furnish  “ all  the  news  ” is  a weekly, 
called  the  Calistogian.  Calistoga  is  sit- 


222 


crofutt’s  new  overland  tourist 


uated  at  the  head  of  the  valley,  68.15  miles 
from  San  Francisco,  surrounded  on  three 
sides  with  the  mountain  spurs  of  the  Coast 
Range,  as  well  as  by  vineyards  and 
orchards;  wine  cellars— well,  they  are 
thicker  here  than  quartz  mills  at  Virginia 
City. 

The  Petrified  Forest — is  distant 
about  five  miles,  and  consists  of  about  forty 
acres  of  ground,  covered  more  or  less  with 
petrified  trees,  some  very  large,  eleven  feet 
in  diameter  at  the  stump.  These  trees  are 
nearly  all  down,  some  nearly  covered  with 
earth  and  volcanic  matter,  while  the  ground 
sparkles  with  silica.  They  will  well  re- 
pay a visit  from  the  curious. 

{Stage  lines  are  numerous  from  Calistoga ; 
first,  to  the  northward,  it  is  17  miles  to 
Middleton ; 20  to  Harbern  Springs ; 20 
to  Guenoc ; 35  to  Lower  Lake,  and  45 
to^  Sulphur  Banks,  where  that  suspicious 
mineral  can  be  shoveled  up  by  the 
cart-load.  To  the  northeast  it  is  71  miles 
to  Pine  Flat;  26  miles  to  Geysers;  26 
miles  to  Grlepbrook;  41  to  Keiseyville; 
48  to  LakePoint,  situated  on  the  west  shore 
of  Clear  Lake,  a fine  resort  at  all  seasons, 
but  particularly  in  summer.  To  the  south- 
west it  is  five  miles  to  the  Petrified  Forest 
eight  to  Mark  West  Springs  and  26  to  Santa 
Rosa. 

The  celebrated  Foss,  with  his  stage, 
leaves  Calistoga  daily,  over  a mountain 
road  unsurpassed  for  grand  scenerv,  en 
route  to 

The  Geysers— These  springs,  with  their 
taste,  smell  and  noise,  are  fearful,  wonder- 
ful. We  have  been  told  that  “ California 
beats  the  devil.”  May  be,  but  he  cannot  be 
far  from  this  place.  Here  are  over  2U0 
mineral  springs,  the  waters  of  which  are 
hot,  cold,  sweet,  sour,  iron,  soda,  alum,  sul- 
phur-well, you  should  be  suited  with  the 
varieties  of  sulphur!  There  is  white  sul- 
phur and  black  sulphur,  yellow  sulphur 
and  red  sulphur,  and  how  many  more 
sulphurs,  deponent  saith  not.  But  if 
there  are  any  other  kinds  wanted,  and  they 
are  not  to  be  seen,  call  for  them,  they  are 
there,  together  with  all  kinds  of  contending 
elements,  rearing,  thundering,  hissing,  huh- 
hling,  spurting  and  steaming,  with  a smell 
that  would  disgust  any  Chinese  dinner- 
party. We  are  unable  to  describe  all  these 
wonderful  things,  but  will  do  the  next  best 
thing.  (See  large  illustration  No.  17  and 
description  in  Annex  No.  45.) 

The  Geyser  Hotel,  seen  through  the 
foliage  in  the  picture,  is  the  only  house 


which  provides  accommodations  at  the 
springs.  Steam  baths  and  other  kinds  will 
here  be  found  ample,  and  board  $14  per 
week.  In  the  region  of  the  springs,  are 
mines  of  quicksilver,  and  some  silver  mines 
that  are  being  worked  to  advantage. 


Returning  to  San  Francisco,  we  start  on 

San  Francisco  and  North 
Pacific  Railroad. 

General  Offices— San  Francisco. 


- . JUONAHUE 

A.  A.  Bkan 

P.  E.  Dougherty. 


- - ........  Jr7*S8ZCtC7tv 

. . . General  Superintendent. 

Gen.  Pass,  and  Ticket  Agt. 

Repairing  to  the  wharf,  a short  distaure 
north  of  the  Oak. and  Ferry,  we  board  the 
steamer  Donahue,  belonging  to  this  road 
and  proceed  up  the  bay,  as  in  route  No.  2 
until  Pedro  Point  is  passed,  when  the 
course  is  more  to  the  westward,  to  the 
mouth  of  Petaluma  Creek,  a very  crooked 
stream,  with  salt  marshes  on  each  side. 
About  six  miles  from  the  mouth  ot  the 
creek,  on  the  light,  we  come  to  a double- 
front cottage,  which,  when  we  passed  up 
here  in  January,  1878,  stood  high  and  dry, 
above  the  marsh.  Several  days  after,  on 
the  downward  trip,  the  water  covered  the 
whole  bottom  in  one  broad  sheet,  and  was 
apparently  on  the  first  fioor  of  the  build- 
ing. When  it  is  understood  that  the  party 
who  settled  here  did  so  to  demonstrate 
that  he  could  reclaim  the  land  by  an 
original  system  of  dykes,  the  joke  will  be 
apparent,  and  to  him  an  aqueous  joke. 

From  the  mouth  of  the  creek,  it  js  about 
ten  miles  to 


Donahue  — named  for  the  President 
of  the  road.  It  is  situated  on  the  east 
bank  of  the  creek,  close  in  beside  the 
blulFs,  or  Sonoma  Hills,  34  miles  from 
San  Francisco.  It  is  simply  a landing  lor 
the  boat  where  passengers  take  the  cars, 
which  stand  under  a huge,  long  building 
on  the  end  of  the  wharf. 

Leaving  the  wharf,  the  Sonoma  Hotel  is 
close  on  the  right,  almost  on  the  water’s 
edge.  Passing  along  beside  the  rolling 
hills,  which  are  cultivated  to  their  summit, 
one  mile  brings  us  to  Lakeville,  not  a 
very  pretentious  place,  but  from  which  a 
stage  leaves  daily  lor  the  eastward,  over 
the  hills,  nine  miles  to 

Sonoma— This  town  is  a quiet,  old  place, 
founded  in  18.0,  and  contains  about  600 
inhabitants.  Many  of  the  old  original 
adobe  buildings  are  still  standing  m a 


AND  PACIFIC  COAST  GUIDE. 


223 


good  state  of  preservation.  Sonoma  has 
the  honor  of  being  the  place  where  the 
old  “Bear  Flag”  was  first  raised.  It  is 
situated  in  the  Sonoma  Valley,  one  of  the 
richest  in  the  State,  and  is  celebrated  for 
its  vineyards  and  the  excellence  of  its 
wines.  Sonoma  is  not  without  its  railroad, 
if  it  is  a single  rail.  The  Sonoma  Y alley 
“Prismoidal”  is  no  creature  of  the  fancy, 
but  is  completed  three  miles,  and  is  to  be 
extended  to  Norfolk,  seven  miles  from 
Sonoma,  where  it  will  connect  with  steam- 
boats from  San  Francisco. 

But  to  return  to  the  railroad,  which  we 
left  at  Lakeville.  Rolling  hills  are  on  our 
right,  mostly  cultivah  d to  their  summits, 
and  a few  scattering  live-oaks;  on  the  left, 
Petaluma  Creek,  salt  marshes,  and  in  the 
distance  a high  ridge  of  the  Coast  Range. 
Seven  miles  from  Lakeville  is 

Petaluma— the  largest  town  in  Sonoma 
county,  with  a population  of  about  4,500. 
It  contains  some  fine  large  business  blocks, 
two  good  hotels— the  American  and  the 
Washington.  The  Courier  and  the  Jour- 
nal Argus  are  two  weekly  papers,  pub- 
lished here.  The  town  is  on  the  west  side 
of  the  road,  situated  on  rolling  hills,  by 
the  side  of  which  runs  Petaluma  Creek, 
which  is  navigable  for  light-draft  boats 
at  high  tide.  Upon  and  around  these 
rolling  hills  are  some  beautiful  residences, 
ornamented  with  great  numbers  of  trees, 
among  which  are  the  oak,  eucalyptus, 
Monterey  and  Italian  cypress,  Norfolk 
Island  pine,  and  others,  presenting,  in 
connection  with  the  mountains  and  sur- 
rounding scenery,  a view  most  charming 
and  deliditful. 

Stages  leave  Petaluma  daily  for  Sonoma, 
thirteen  miles  east.  We  understand  the 
Railroad  Company  have  a track  graded 
and  nearly  ready  for  the  iron,  that  runs 
south  and  west  from  Petaluma,  along  the 
base  of  the  moun  ain  to  San  Rafael,  where 
a crossing  will  be  made  to  San  Francisco. 

Leaving  Petaluma,  we  cross  Petaluma 
Creek  and  roll  along  three  miles  to 
Ely’s,  a fiag  station,  amid  rolling  hills, 
at  the  head  of  Petaluma  Valley.  One  mile 
further,  we  come  to  a beautiful  grove  of 
black  oaks  on  a high  hill  to  the  right,  and 
we  ai  e at  Penn’s  Grove.  Here  we  cross 
the  divide  and  enter  the  Russian  River 
Valley.  Goodwin’s  is  half  a mile  further, 
a small  flag  station  two  and  a half  miles 
from  Page’s,  another  one  of  the  same  im- 
portance. Here  commences  the  Cotate 
Grant,  which  takes  in  the  hills  on  each 


side,  four  leagues  in  extent.  Two  and  a 
half  miles  from  Page’s,  we  are  at  Cotate 
Ranche,  a flag  station  for  the  ranche  near 
by.  At  many  stations  along  are  to  be  seen 
cattle  pens  and  shutes,  indicating  that 
raising  and  fattening  cattle  for  market  is 
one  of  the  industries  of  the  people  in  this 
section.  Here  we  find  many  drooping, 
moss-covered  oaks.  Three  miles  more  and 
we  are  at  the  banner  town  of 

Santa  Rosa— population,  4,000.  This 
is  the  county  seat  of  Sonoma  count  v^, 
situated  in  the  midst  of  one  of  the  richest 
valleys  in  the  State.  It  is  fifteen  miles  from 
Petaluma,  fifteen  miles  Irom  Healds- 
burgb,  thirty-three  miles  from  Cloverdale, 
and  fifty-seven  miles  from  San  Francisco. 
No  city  on  the  Pacific  coast  has  increased 
faster  within  the  last  five  years  than  Santa 
Rosa,  and  that  increase  has  been  marked 
by  substantial  brick  business  blocks,  large 
manufactories,  and  beautiful  private  resi- 
dences. 

The  city  has  water-works,  gas-house, 
railroads,  and  all  the  modern  improve- 
ments. Of  newspapers,  there  are  one  daily, 
the  Democ/rat;  and  one  weekly,  the  Times. 
The  Grand,  and  the  Occidental,  are  the 
two  principal  hotels. 

The  streets  of  the  city  are  broad,  set  out 
with  eucalypti  and  other  varieties  of  trees ; 
these,  with  the  surrounding  country,  afford 
many  very  beautiful  drives. 

Stages  leave  Santa  Rosa  daily  for  Mark- 
West  Springs,  ten  miles  east;  Petrified 
Forest,  fifteen  miles  (see  description,  page 
222);  and  Calistoga,  20  miles;  to  the  west, 
Sebastopol  is  seven  miles.  Average  fare  to 
these  places  is  ten  cents  per  mile.  The 
valley  of  Santa  Rosa,  in  which  the  town  is 
si  uated,  Russian  River  Valley,  and  Peta- 
luma Valley,  really  one,  pe  60  miles  in 
length,  with  an  average  width  of  about  six 
miles. 

Sonoma  county  is  a very  large  one,  ex- 
tending to  the  Pacific  Ocean  on  the  west. 
In  the  western  portion  are  located  immense 
forests  of  redwood  timber,  which  we  shall, 
note  hereafter.  Vineyards  are  numerous 
as  well  as  orchards  where  immense  quan- 
tities of  oranges,  lemons,  plums,  limes, 
apples,  English  walnuts,  almonds,  apricots, 
and  other  f uits  and  nuts  are  raised  for 
market  There  are  nearly  7,000  acres  in 
vineyard— 5,000,000  vines— which  produce 
annually  full  2,500,000  gallons  of  wine,  and 
35,000  gallons  of  brandy.  Pomegranite 
trees  do  quite  well,  and  never  fail  a crop. 
All  the  lands  in  this  county  are  classed  as 


224  ofutt’s  new  overland  tourist 


“ safe  lands  ” ; owing  to  their  proximity  to 
the  ocean  the  rain-tall  is  abundant  for  all 
purposes. 

Darying,  is  an  important  industry,  yield- 
ing, from  official  reports,  2,750,000  pounds 
ot  butter,  400,000  pounds  of  cheese,  and 
milk  — not  enough  tigures;  the  amount  of 
milk  marketed  is  not  recorded. 

In  mines,  Sonoma  is  well  represented ; 
gold,  copper,  and  quicksilver  are  the  prin- 
cipal metals.  In  grain,  the  product  figures 
up  over  600,000  bushels  of  wheat;  30,000 
bushels  of  barley ; 250,000  of  oats ; 8,500 
bushels  of  corn,  and  many  other  kinds  of 
grain  in  proportion.  As  for  mineral 
springs,  why,  Sonoma  county  is  the  home 
of  all  kinds  of  springs,  chief  of  which  are 
the  Geysers,  Skaggs,  Mark  West,  and  the 
White  Sulphur. 

Four  miles  from  Santa  Eosa  comes 

Fulton — a small  town  at  the  junction  of 
the  Fulton  and  Glirneyville  Branch.  The 
stations  on  this  branch,  are:  Meacham’s, 
two  miles;  Laguna,  four  miles  further; 
Forestville,  another  two  miles;  then  two 
miles  to  Greenvalley  ; three  miles  more 
to  Korbel’s,  and  another  three  to 

Gurneyville — in  the  midst  of  a forest 
of  redwood.  Along  this  branch  road,  and 
at  Gurneyville,  are  located  six  sawmills, 
which  cut  150,000  feet  of  lumber  daily. 
One  of  the  largest  of  these  redwood  trees 
measured  344  feet  high,  and  18  feet  in 
diameter.  The  town  of  Gurneyville  is 
situated  on  Russian  River,  on  what  is 
known  as  “ Big  Bottom,”  in  the  finest  red- 
wood forest  in  the  State. 

Leaving  Fulton  and  crossing  Mark  West 
Creek,  the  first  station  on  the  main  line  is 
two  miles  distant,  called  Mark  West — 
hut  our  ti  ain  will  not  stop,  unless  signaled. 
1 he  valley  along  here  is  ten  miles  in  width. 
Three  miles  further  comes 

Windsor — a small  place  four  miles 
from  Grant,  a fiag  station  which  is  two 
miles  from 

Heraldsburg — reached  just  after  cross- 
ing the  Russian  River,  on  the  north  bank 
of  which  it  is  situated.  The  town  contains 
a population  of  about  2,000.  Fifteen  miles 
from  8anta  Rosa,  and  72  from  San  Fran- 
cisco, is  Russian  Valley,  in  which  the 
town  is  located,  noted  for  its  great  yield  of 
wheat,  and  the  extraordinary  quickness  of 
its  soil,  producing  potatoes,  peas,  and  many 
other  vegetables  w thin  65  days  from  the 
time  the  seed  is  planted,  Tho, Russian  Mwer 
Flag^  and  the  Enterprise^  are  weekly  pa- 
pers, published  here.  The  tourist  will 


find  excellent  hunting  and  fishing  near  by, 
with  ample  hotel  accommodations.  ^ 

From  Healdsburg  the  valley  gradually 
narrows,  and  four  miles  further  brings  us 
to  Litton’s  Springs,  a signal  station,  near 
where  are  located  the  springs  of  the  same 
name.  Four  miles  further  is 
^ Geyserville  — Here  stages  leave  for 
Skagg’s  Springs— a popular  resort— situ- 
ated at  the  side  of  the  mountain,  at  the 
head  of  Dry  Creek  Valley,  about  eight 
miles  west.  Truett’s  is  six  miles  further, 
another  flag  station,  four  miles  from  the 
end  of  the  road,  at 

Cloverdale  — This  town  contains  a 
population  of  about  500,  with  two  hotels, 
tbe  United  States,  and  the  Cloverdale,  and 
one  weekly  newspaper,  the  News,  The 
towm  nestles  in  at  the  mountain  base,  at 
the  head  of  the  Russian  River  Valley,  and 
is  55  miles  from  Donahue,  and  00  miles 
from  San  Francisco,  being  a point  from 
which  several  stage  lines  radiate,  for  the 
northern  and  surrounding  country. 

Stages  — four  and  six  horse  — leave 
Cloverdale  daily,  for  the  Geysers,  16  niihs 
distant,  over  one  of  the  finest  mountain 
roads  in  the  State.  It  is  built  on  a uniform 
grade  of  four  feet  to  the  hundred.  The 
owners  of  this  line — Van  Arnam  & Ken- 
nedy— are  old  “knights  of  the  whip,” 
di  ive  themselves,  and  often  make  the  trip 
in  one  and  a half  hours.  The  fare  for 
the  round  trip  is  $4.50.  For  description  of 
the  Geysers,  see  Annex  No.  45,  and  the 
large  illustration  No.  17. 

Stages  run  north  to  Ukiah,  the  county 
seat  of  Mendocino  county, — 31  miles,  where 
connections  are  made  with  all  adjoining 
towns;  also,  to  the  northeast,  to  Hopeland, 
on  the  Russian  River,  16  miles;  Highland 
Springs,' 22  miles;  Kelseyville,  25  miles; 
Lakeport,  36  miles;  Upper  Lake,  42  miles; 
and  Bartlet Springs — a great  medical  resort 
— 63  miles.  To  the  northwest,  they  run  to 
Boonville,  31  miles;  North  Fork,  50  miles; 
Navaro  Ridge,  63  miles ; Little  River,  70 
miles;  Salmon  Creek,  72  miles;  and  Men- 
dicono  City,  75  miles;  average  fare  to 
all,  ten  cents  per  mile. 


Returning  to  San  Francisco  we  take 
Route 

Paciiie  Coaist  Hailroad. 

General  Offices — San  Francisco. 

Milton  S.  Latham, President, 

Jno.  W.  Doherty Gen.  Manager. 

W.  R.  Price, Gen.  Ticket  Agent. 

This  road  is  a three-foot  narrow  gauge> 


AND  PACIFIC  COAST  GUIDE. 


225 


built  and  equipped  in  the  best  manner, 
traversing  a section  of  the  country  very 
attractive  to  the  tourist.  It  runs  in  a north- 
westerly direction  from  San  Quentin  and 
Sancilito,  on  the  west  side  of  the  bay, 
twelve  miles  distant.  The  road  has  two 
southern  termini,  whieh  unite  at  Junction, 
17  miles  from  San  Francisco.  The  bay  is 
crossed  by  ferry  from  Davis  St.,  for  San- 
cilito, and  from  San  Quentin  Ferry — 
Market  St.  wharf— for  San  Quentin.  We 
will  take  the  latter  route,  which  for  nearly 
ten  miles  will  be  the  same  as  No.  2 ; then, 
the  route  will  be  more  to  the  westw^ard. 
When  near  the  point  of  Angel  Island,  on 
the  left,  the  little  town  of  Sancilito  can  be 
seen  nestling  close  in  beside  the  mountain. 
Between  Sancilito  and  Angel  Island  runs 
Raccoon  Straits.  Mt.  Tamalpais  now 
looms  up  away  to  the  left.  Nearing  the 
shore,  also  on  the  left,  is 

San  Quentin — a noted  place  of  sum- 
mer and  winter  resort.  The  resident  tour- 
ists number  from  600  to  1,000,  their  term 
of  residence  varying  from  six  months  to  a 
life-time.  The  quarters  for  their  accom- 
modation are  furnished  by  the  State,  free  of 
charge.  The  Lieutenant-Governor  exer- 
cises personal  supervision  over  the  guests, 
assisted  by  many  subordinates  and  a com- 
pany of  soldiers.  The  guests  come  here, 
not  of  their  own  will,  but  through  their 
folly,  and  we  believe  they  would  quit  the 
place,  if  they  could.  By  law  it  is  known 
as  the  State  Prison.  The  buildings  are  of 
brick,  large,  and  readily  distinguished,  on 
the  point  to  the  left  of  the  landing.  Chang- 
ing for  the  cars,  we  glide  along  on  the  edge 
of  the  bay,  with  oak  and  shrub  covering 
the  lolling  hills  on  the  left,  one  and  a-half 
miles,  and  arrive  at 

San  Rafael — the  county  seat  of  Marin 
county ; population,  about  3,000.  It  was 
settled  in  1817  by  the  Jesuit  missionaries. 
It  is  situated  in  a beautiful  little  valley, 
on  low  rolling  hills  in  view  of  the  bay 
and  San  Francisco,  and  of  late  has  become 
a thriving  suburban  town. 

The  town  contains  several  good  hotels, 
and  two  weekly  papers,  the  Herald  and  the 
Journal.  Along  the  streets,  and  around 
the  private  residences,  are  many  shade 
trees,  among  which  are  the  blue  gum,  oak, 
Monterey  cypress,  spruce  and  pine,  which 
present  a beautiful  appearance.  Proceed- 
ing through  the  town  two  miles,  we  reach 
the 

Junction— Here  connects  the  branch 
track  from  Sancilito;  let  us  digress  long 

14  ’ to  to 


enough  to  come  up  on  that  route.  Leaving 
Davis  St.  Ferry,  in  San  Francisco,  the 
course  is  almost  due  west  for  six  miles  to 

Sancilito — a small  town  situated  close 
in  beside  the  mountains  of  the  Coast 
Range,  containg  a population  of  about  300. 
On  the  trip  across  the  bay,  a beautiful  view 
can  be  had  of  the  northwestern  portion  of 
San  Francisco,  Alcatraz,  the  Golden  Gate, 
and  the  forts  located  there.  At  Sancilito 
we  take  the  cars  and  soon  come 
to  the  shops  belonging  to  the  Railroad 
Compaoy ; three  miles  further,  Lyford’s  ; 
another  mile,  the  Summit;  two  more, 
across  an  arm  of  the  bay,  is  Corte  Ma- 
dera ; two  miles  further 

Tamalpais — Here  saddle  horses  can  be 
procured  for  a ride  up  to  the  summit  of  the 
mountain,  2,604  feet,  from  which  the 
finest  view  can  be  had  of  the  Pacific  Ocean, 
San  Francisco,  and  San  Pablo  Bays,  and 
the  surrounding  country,  that  can  be  ob- 
tained at  any  point.  The  distance  is  about 
eight  miles.  From  Tamalpais  station  it  is 
two  miles  to  the  Junction.  From  San- 
cilito the  route  has  been  one  of  beauty.  In 
almost  every  nook  of  the  mountain-side 
are  residences  surrounded  with  all  that 
money  and  good  taste  can  provide  to  make 
them  beautiful  and  attractive  homes. 

Leaving  the  Junction,  after  1.5  miles 
comes  the  side-track  of  Fairfax,  sur- 
rounded by  rolling  hills,  covered  with  an 
eternal  verdure  of  green.  Curving  to  the 
right,  look ! away  up  there  to  the  left — see 
our  road!  Can  we  get  there ? Up,  up  we 
go,  through  a tunnel,  and  roll  around  the 
head  of  the  little  valley,  and  then  to  the 
left  we  can  look  away  down  and  see  the 
road  up  which  we  passed  only  a few 
moments  ago.  Keeping  around  on  the 
southern  slope  of  the  hills,  with  an  awful 
chasm  on  the  left,  beyond  are  high  moun- 
tains upon  the  sides  of  which  can  be  been 
an  occasional  huge  redwood  tree. 

Curving  around  again  to  the  right,  up 
another  little  valley,  our  road  again  ap- 
pears far  up  on  the  opposite  side,  and 
again  the  head  of  the  valley  is  reached ; 
the  curve  to  the  left  is  again  made,  and 
down,  far  below,  is  the  road  bed.  There 
are  two  “ Cape  Horns,”  only  not  as  high 
as  Cape  Horn  on  the  Central  Pacific.  The 
scenery  is  very  beautiful. 

Climbing  up,  see,  on  the  right,  the 
wagon  road  to  Mt.  Tamalpais,  under 
which  is  the  tunnel  through  which  we 
pass;  altitude,  565  feet;  length,  1,250  feet. 
Beyond  the  tunnel,  the  grade  descends, 


226 


crofutt’s  new  overland  tourist 


curving  around  on  the  side  of  the  hills, 
down  into  a little  valley  through  which 
runs  the  San  Geronimo  Creek.  Here  ^we 
find  the  inadrone  tree,  (see  Annex,  Ho.  8) 
and  many  oaks  with  drooping,  moss- 
covered  boughs. 

Six  and  a half  miles  from  Fairfax,  we 
come  to  Nicasio,  a small  station  with  an 
altitude  of  370  feet.  The  mountains,  on 
the  left,  are  covered  with  a dense  growth  of 
trees,  of  many  varieties,  among  which  are 
redwood,  pine,  Douglas  spruce,  madrone, 
and  buckeye  shrubs.  Passing Lagunitas,  a 
small  station,  the  road  enters  a narrow 
canyon,  down  which  we  run,  with  the  red- 
wood towering  far  above;  pass  the  old 
powder  mill  and  extensive  pic-nic  grounds 
on  the  right,  which  are  visited  in  the  sum- 
mer by  thousands  from  San  Francisco- 
on,  past  a big  dam,  and  we  arrive  at 

Taylorsville— This  is  a small  station, 
named  for  a Mr.  Taylor,  who  established 
here  the  -first  paper  mill  on  the  Pacific 
Coast,  known  as  the  “Pioneer  Paper  Mill.” 
The  canyon  is  narrow,  with  some  tall 
redwoods  along  the  creek,  and  on  the  side 
of  the  mountain  to  the  left.  Opposite,  the 
country  is  rolling,  with  few  trees— some- 
thing of  a dairy  country. 

Tocoloma— comes  next,  three  miles 
from  Taylor’s.  Here  a stage  line  runs  to 
the  town  of  Olema,  two  miles  to  the  south, 
over  the  ridge,  and  also  to  Bolinas,  four- 
teen miles  distant.  Passing  on  by  milk 
ranches,  crossing  bridges,  through  deep 
cuts,  over  high  embankments,  curving 
around  the  side  of  the  mountain  on  the 
left,  the  train  comes  out  into  a little  valley, 
and  4.5  miles  from  the  last  station,  and 
38.5  miles  from  San  Francisco,  stops  at 

Olema  Station— This  is  an  eating 
station,  the  only  one  on  the  road.  Trains 
stop  twenty  minutes.  Stages  for  Bolinas, 
south  thirteen  miles,  leave  every  day,  except 
week  days. 

Leaving,  the  route  is  more  to  the  north- 
ward, with  Bolinas  Bay  over  the  hills  to  the 
left.  The  timber  to  the  right  has  entirely  dis- 
appeared, and  there  is  but  little  on  the  left, 
with  very  little  cultivated  land.  We  are 
now  approaching  a section  which  is  almost 
entirely  devoted  to  dairying.  Soon  we 
come  to  Tomales  Bay,  a portion  of  which 
is  crossed  on  a long  pile  bridge,  where  are 
extensive  beds  of  planted  oysters,  the 
boundaries  of  which  are  marked  by  poles. 
Ducks  are  very  abundant,  and  white  peli- 
cans can  often  be  seen  as  well  as  wild 
geese. 


This  bay  is  about  twenty  miles  in 
length,  with  an  average  width  of  one  mile. 
Our  train  runs  along  on  the  edge  of  this 
bay,  around  rocky  points,  through  spurs 
of  the  bluff's,  and  across  little  inlets  for 
about  sixteen  miles,  where  the  road  turns 
sharp  to  the  right,  up  an  arm  of  the  bay. 
In  this  distance  we  find  the  following 
stations:  Wharf  Point,  three  miles  from 
Olema;  Millerton,  two  miles  further, 
and  Marshalls,  nine  more ; then  comes 

Hamlet — Here  the  regular  passenger 
trains  meet.  All  these  side-track  stations 
along  the  bay  are  for  the  accommodation 
of  the  dairymen  living  near,  who  ship 
large  quantities  of  milk  and  butter  to  San 
Francisco  daily. 

Tomales  Point  is  on  the  opposite  side  of 
the  bay,  which  is  here  only  about  three 
and  a half  miles  from  the  ocean. 

Turning  to  the  right,  our  road  follows  up 
a narrow  little  valley  around  rocky  points, 
with  high  grass-covered  hills  on  each  side — 
makes  one  great  rainbow  curve,  away 
around  the  head  of  the  valley,  and  comes 
to  a stop  at 

Tomales — This  station  is  55  miles  from 
San  Francisco.  Here  the  Railroad  Com- 
pany have  large  warehouses  for  storing 
grain,  from  which  large  quantities  are 
shipped  annually.  Tomales  consists  of  a 
few  dozen  buildings,  devoted  to  merchan- 
dizing, with  a surrounding  country  well 
cultivated.  Mt.  St.  Helena  can  be  seen  on 
the  right,  and,  in  a clear  day,^^^  beyond 
the^  snow-capped  Sierras.  Leaving  the 
station,  the  road  passes  through  the  fourth 
tunnel,  crossing  a small  creek  on  a high 
trestle  bridge,  and  then  a small  inlet  from 
the  ocean,  where  we  leave  Marin  county, 
enter  Sonoma,  and  come  to 

Valley  Ford  Station — Here  a stage 
leaves  daily  for  Petaluma,  eighteen  miles 
east.  Years  ago  the  section  we  are  now 
entering  was  the  southern  border  of  the 
great  redwood  forests.  Here  the  lumber- 
man began  his  labors,  and  as  years  passed, 
step  by  step  he  penetrated  this  great  lum- 
ber region,  leaving  in  his  track  stumps, 
fire,  smoke,  and  finally  the  clearing,  broad, 
rich  fields  and  well-cultivated  farms,  from 
the  productions  of  which  he  subsists  while 
persistently  following  up  his  receding 
prey — the  redwoods.  ■ 

The  waters  from  Bodega  Bay  sit  biick  to 
near  the  station,  on  the  left.  Three  miles 
further,  we  come  to  Bodega  Roads,  and 
one  mile  more  to  Freestone,  over  a 
heavy  grade.  Here  we  come  to  another 


AND  PACIFIC  COAST  GUIDE. 


227 


I great  horse-slioe  curve,  around  the  head  of 
^ a small  valley.  First,  the  road-bed  is  far 
above,  then/ar  below,  with  a deep  gorge  on 
the  left,  in  which  grow  madrone,  redwood, 

\ and  oak  trees.  Now^  we  come  to  a trestle 
i bridge,  300  feet  long  and  137  feet  high, 

!;  over  a frightful  gorge;  and  then  to  the 
^ Summit  Tunnel,  610  feet  long,  beyond 
which  is 

Howard — The  principal  business  at  this 
i station  is  burning  coke.  Passing  on,  we 
I enter  “ Dutch  Bill  Canyon,”  called  so  in 
li  early  days  after  Mr.  Howard,  who  there 
wrestled  with  the  big  redwoods  that  it  then 
Ii  contained.  Redwoods  now  appear  on  each 
ji  side,  as  also  saw-mills.  Streeten  Mill 
I is  passed  on  the  left,  then  another  tunnel — 
I there  are  five  tunnels  in  all,  on  the  road, 

’ aggregating  3,850  feet — then  a long  wood 
ij  shute,  and 

\ Tyrone  Mills — Here  are  extensive  saw- 

mills on  the  left,  with  side-tracks  running 
, to  them,  with  a capacity  of  40,000  feet  of 
lumber  a day. 

Leaving  this  mill,  on  a down  grade, 
through  towering  redwoods,  300  feet 
high,  we  roll  down  past  another  large 
mill,  on  the  right,  to  the  Russian  River, 
just  after  passing  an  unimportant  side- 
track of  that  name. 

The  river  at  this  place  comes  down 
, ' through  a perfect  forest  of  towering  red- 
I woods,  and  is  about  300  feet  wide,  wi  th  an  av- 
s erage  depth  of  two  feet.  The  train  runs  along 
F on  the  southern  bank,  past  a beautiful  little 
J cottage  on  the  right,  away  up  on  a high 
]j  spur  of  the  mountains,  that  projects  out 
i into  the  river,  and  which  has  been  left,  as 
:j  it  were  isolated  by  the  cutting  made  by  the 
i Railroad  Company  in  building  the  road. 

It  is  one  of  several  country  residences  be- 
I longing  to  the  President  of  the  road.  Be- 
yond  this  point  a short  distance,  is  the 
i Moscow  Mills  Station,  opposite  which 
4 comes  in  from  the  north,  Austin  Creek, 
^ abounding  in  redwoods.  A short  distance 
j,  further,  Russian  River  is  crossed  on  a 
bridge  400  feet  long,  and  the  train  stops  at 
; the  end  of  the  road  at 

Duncan’s  Mills — Here  are  located  ex- 

0 tensive  saw-mills,  in  the  midst  of  great  for- 
^-‘r  ests  of  redwoods.  The  station  is  80  miles 

from  San  Francisco,  and  consists  of  one 
large  hotel,  the  Julian — a good  station 
ci  building,  some  shops  of  the  Railroad  Com- 

1 pany,  several  stores  and  a dozen  or  more 
( residences,  some  of  which  are  very  good. 
[ Game  of  various  kinds  is  abundant, 
j such  as  deer,  bears,  etc.,  and  some  wild 


hogs.  Fish — well,  this  is  the  fisherman’s 
paradise.  From  Duncan’s  Mills  it  is  six 
miles  to  the  Ocean,  reached  by  boats  on 
Russian  River,  which  is  near  the  station, 
also  by  a good  wagon  road.  Stages  leave 
Duncan’s  Mills  daily,  except  Mondays,  for 
the  following  places:  Fort  Ross,  16  miles; 
Henry’s,  16  miles;  Timber  Cove,  20  miles; 
Salt  Point,  25  miles ; Fisk’s  Mills,  30  miles ; 
Stewart’s  Point,  34  miles;  Gualala,  44 
miles;  Fish  Rock,  50  miles;  Point  Arena, 
60  miles ; Manchester,  66  miles ; Cuffey’s 
Cove,  80  miles;  JSTavarra  Ridge,  86  miles; 
and  Mendocino  City,  96  miles ; average  lare 
ten  cents  per  mile. 

Along  the  line  of  this  road  are  located 
several  large  saw-mills,  which  produce  for 
market,  200,000  feet  of  redwood  lumber 
daily. 

In  conclusion;  the  ramble  about  Dun- 
can’s Mills  will  be  found  by  the  tourist,  a 
very  pleasant  one,  in  fact,  the  scenery 
along  the  whole  line  is  very  interesting. 
The  rapid  changes  and  the  great  variety 
are  charming,  instructive,  and  when  once 
made  will  ever  live  in  pleasant  memory. 


Returning  to  San  Francisco,  we  start  on 
Route  5. 

I^oathern  Pacific  Railroad 

General  Offices,  San  Francisco. 

Chas.  Crockef, President. 

Geo.  Gray Chief  Engineer. 

A.  C.  Bassett, General  Superintendent. 

J.  L.  WiLLCUTT,  — Gen.  Pas.  and  Ticket  Agent. 

This  company  own  the  road  from 
Goshen,  in  the  San  Joaquin  Valley,  and, 
including  the  Goshen  Division,  to  Los 
Angeles  and  Yuma,  in  Arizona,  but  it  is 
leased  to  and  operated  by  the  “ Central  ” 
Company.  This  leaves  the  Southern,  only 
the  line  from  San  Francisco  to  Solidad, 
142  miles,  and  the  Trespinos  division  of  18 
miles,  making  160  miles,  over  which  w’e 
propose  journeying. 

Leaving  the  depot,  which  is  situated  op- 
posite the  general  office,  corner  Towmsend 
and  Fourth,  the  route  is  south,  through  the 
city  for  over  four  miles,  most  of  the  dis- 
tance built  up  with  business  blocks,  manu- 
factories, large  wool  warehouses,  shops  and 
private  residences. 

The  company’s  machine  shops — exten- 
sive works — are  situated  about  two  miles 
from  the  depot;  another  mile  is  Valencia 
street,  where  is  a horse-car  line  to  the  more 
central  part  of  the  city.  Then  we  move 
another  mile,  through  some  deep  cuts  and 
high  hills  on  the  right,  and  are  at 


228 


CIIOFUTO  S NEW  OVERLAND  TOURIST 


Bernal — a small  station  4.6  miles  from 
our  starting  point.  Some  gardens  and 
vegetable  fields  now  appear,  and  a short 
distance  from  the  station  is  the  Industrial 
School,  on  an  elevation  to  the  right. 

San  Miguel— is  two  miles  further, 
among  the  sand-hills,  where  are  some  well- 
cultivated  gardens.  To  the  right  is  Lake 
Mercede  and  the  city  water  works. 

Continuing  along  through  the  hills, 
which  in  places  are  close  on  each  side — 
with  the  San  Bruno  Mountains  in  the  dis- 
tance on  the  right — down  a little  valley, 
then  through  deep  cuts,  past  Colma,  a 
side-track,  and  Baden  Bay,  all  in  quick  suc- 
cession, we  come  to  the  signal  station  of 
Baden,  or  as  often  called  “Twelve  Mile 
Farm.”  At  this  place  Mr.  Chas.  Lux,  of 
Lux  and  Miller,  the  largest  cattle  dealers 
on  the  Pacific  Coast,  resides ; and  on  Mr. 
Lux’s  “ Twelve  Mile  Farm  ” can  be  found 
at  all  times,  some  of  the  best  cattle  in  the 
State. 

Two  miles  further,  and  we  are  over  the 
hills  and  down  on  the  edge  of  San  Fran- 
cisco Bay,  which  is  on  the  left,  and  at 

San  Bruno— This  station  consists  of  a 
good  hotel,  and  four  targets,  as  it  is  a 
great  resort  for  shooting  at  target.  The 
targets  are  on  the  edge  of  the  bay  to  the 
left;  distances,  200,  500,  800,  and  1,000 
yards  each.  Here  the  “ sports  ” gather  to 
try  their  hand.  The  San  Bruno  Hotel  is 
on  the  right  of  the  road,  where  all  the 
targets  are  at  shorter  range^  and  the  shots 
always  certain  to  hit  the  red. 

Milbra — is  the  next  station,  17  miles 
from  San  Francisco.  To  the  right  of  the 
road,  half-a-mile  distant,  is  the  residence  of 
D.  O.  Mills,  President  of  the  Bank  of 
California.  It  will  be  recognized  by  the 
two  tall  towers.  A little  beyond  the  station 
is  the  Milbra  Dairy,  with  large  yards  and 
buildings.  On  the  left,  in  the  bay,  are 
great  beds  of  planted  oysters.  Soon  after 
leaving  Milbra,  we  come  to  Burlingame, 
designed  and  laid  out  by  the  late  Mr.  Rals- 
ton in  long  streets  and  avenues,  extending 
for  two  miles  along  the  road,  and  from  the 
base  of  the  mountains,  on  the  right,  to  the 
bay  on  the  left,  about  another  two  miles. 
Beside  these  streets  and  avenues,  are  double 
rows  of  planted  trees,  most  of  which  are  eu- 
calyptus and  Monterey  cypress.  There  are 
some  beautiful  residences  here  and  there 
along  the  base  of  the  mountains  on  the 
right. 

Two  miles  from  Milbra,  we  pass  Oak 


Grove,  a small  station  named  for  the 
grove  of  oaks  near  by. 

One  peculiarity  of  this  country  is:  n( 
matter  how  much  ground  is  shaded  witli 
oaks,^  it  makes  no  difference  with  the  crops 
ail  kinds  of  which  seem  to  grow  equally 
well  in  the  shade  and  in  the  sun. 

San  Mateo— (pronounced  Ma-t-o).  Here 
are  some  of  the  finest  private  residence.^ 
and  grounds  in  the  State.  This  town  con 
tains  a population  of  about  1,500.  Oaks 
and  orchards  are  everywhere.  Stages 
leave  San  Mateo  daily  on  the  arrival  of  the 
train  from  San  Francisco  for  Half-Moon 
Bay,  14  miles  west;  Purissima,  23  miles; 
Pescadero,  30  miles.  At  the  latter  place 
connections  are  made  tri-weekly  for  Pigeon 
Point,  seven  miles ; Davenport’s  Landing,  38 
miles,  and  Santa  Cruz,  40  miles ; average 
fare  ten  cents  per  mile. 

Leaving  the  station,  we  pass— on  the 
right — a beautiful  park,  and  the  Young 
Ladies’  Seminary ; also  a race  track.  To 
the  left  the  bay  lies  close,  and  the  land  is 
of  little  value,  until  reclaimed,  but  on  the 
right  is  beauty,  spread  out  with  a lavish 
hand.  Live  oaks  are  scattered  around  in 
all  directions,  with  buckeye  in  the  ravines 
coming  down  from  the  mountains  on  the 
the  right.  Windmills  are  numerous  the 
whole  length  of  the  valley. 

Belmont — which  is  25  miles  from  San 
Francisco,  comes  next.  At  this  station  the! 
guests  of  the  late  Mr.  Ralston  were  wont| 
to  alight  to  visit  his  residence.  This  place 
is  located  a half-mile  to  the  west,  up  a 
little  valley,  just  out  of  sight  from  thci 
railroad.  It  originally  contained  about | 
100  acres,  which,  upon  the  death  of  Mi 
Ralston,  came  into  possession  of  Senato: 
Sharon,  who  presented  40  acres  of  th( 
land,  including  an  elegant  cottage,  to  th( 
widow,  Mrs.  Ralston.  Leaving  Belmont 
the  Phelps  estate  is  on  the  right,  anc 
double  rows  of  eucalyptus  on  the  left,  fo] 
two  miles.  The  country  between  the  hilL 
and  the  bay  is  fiat,  and  under  a high  stab 
of  cultivation. 

Redwood  City — comes  next,  3.5  miles 
from  Belmont.  It  is  the  county  seat  ol 
San  Mateo  county,  and  a thriving  place 
It  was  named  from  the  great  redwooci 
forest  on  the  west,  a large  quantity  of  whicl 
finds  its  way  to  market  in  the  shape  ol 
lumber,  wood  and  bark,  from  this  station 
The  city  is  supplied  with  water  from  an 
artesian  well.  The  county  buildings, 
schools,  churches  and  hotels,  are  all  said 
to  be  first-class,  as  well  as  the  weekly  pa- 


AND  PACIFIC  COAST  GUIDE. 


229 


per,  the  and  Gazette.  Stages  leave 

daily  for  Seareville,  seven  miles ; La  Honda, 
16  miles,  and  Pescadero,  30  miles. 

Passing  Fair  Oaks,  a small  station  in 
the  midst  of  beautiful  residences,  sur- 
rounded with  parks,  gardens,  orchards  and 
moss-drooping  oaks,  we  come  to 

Menlo  Park — near  which  reside  a score 
!or  more  of  millionaires,  including  Ex- 
Gov.  Stanford,  Milton  S.  Latham,  J.  C. 
Flood,  Albert  Grand,  Faxon  Atherton, 
Maj.  Pathbone,  M.  D.  Sweney,  Col.  Eyre, 
and  many  others.  Menlo  Park  Hotel  is 
situated  on  the  right,  and  is  embowered  in 
itrees,  vines,  and  flowers.  On  the  left, 
leaving  the  station,  is  “Thurlow  Lodge,”  a 
palatial  residence,  situated  in  the  center  of 
princely  grounds,  with  the  most  costly  sur- 
roundings, consisting  of  deer  park,  trees, 
gardens,  orchards  and  shrubbery.  A little 
further,  on  the  right,  comes  the  500-acre 
farm  of  Ex-Gov.  Stanford,  President  of  the 
Central  Pacific  railroad.  Here  is  the  home 
pf  “ Occident,”  and  some  of  the  finest 
blooded  stock  on  the  Pacific  coast. 

Mayfield — a town  of  1,000  inhabitants, 
84.9  miles  from  San  Francisco,  is  situated 
in  the  widest  part  of  Santa  Clara  Valley, 
embowered  in  blue  gum  ” oaks,  and  other 
trees.  It  is  4.^;  miles  from  Mountain 
View — a small  station,  so  named  from  the 
extended  view  which  it  aflbrds  of  the 
Coast  Range  on  the  west,  the  Contra  Costa, 
on  the  east,  as  well  as  the  whole  surround- 
ing country. 

The  great  oaks  add  an  indescribable  beauty 
to  this  country,  and  grow  in  great  pro- 
fusion, particularly  on  the  Murphy  Grant, 
through  which  we  are  now  passing.  This 
grant  originally  covered  some  thousands  of 
'acres,  in  this,  the  richest  portion  of  the 
Santa  Clara  Valley.  Murphy’s  Station — 
Tor  the  accommodation  of  the  grant — is  lo- 
^3ated  near  its  center. 

We  are  now  opposite  the  head  of  San 
Francisco  Bay — on  the  east — and  the  little 
.own  of  Alviso,  which  is  noted  for  its 
,, strawberries  and  fruit,  as  well  as  being  a 
l^point  from  which  immense  quantities  of 
^iroduce  are  shipped  on  the  boats  that  land 
It  its  ample  wharf 

' We  pass  on  through  a section,  where 
^3very  foot  of  land  is  in  a high  state  of  cul- 
/Ivation,  for  two  miles,  and  come  to 
Lawrence — a small  place  3 5 miles  from 
; :he  beautiful 

Santa  Clara — This  is  a beautiful  and 
ifuiet  old  town  of  about  4,000  inhabitants, 
originally  founded  by  the  Jesuits,  in  1774. 


It  is  situated  near  the  center  of  Santa  Clara 
Valley,  one  of  the  loveliest  in  the  world, 
possessing  a soil  of  surpassing  richness. 
It  is  celebrated  for  the  salubrity  of  its  cli- 
mate, and  the  excellence  and  variety  of  its 
fruits;  is  thickly  settled,  and  as  a wheat 
growing  valley  it  has  no  superior.  In 
point  of  improvements,  good  farm-houses, 
orchards,  vineyards,  etc.,  it  has  few,  if  any, 
equals. 

Churches  and  schools  are  numerous; 
Santa  Clara  and  San  Jose — three  miles 
apart — are  both  noted  for  their  educational 
institutions,  where  some  of  the  finest  in 
the  State  are  located.  The  convent  of 
Notre  Dame,  the  San  Jose  Institute,  the 
State  Normal  School,  and  the  new  building 
of  the  University  of  the  Pacific,  Methodist, 
Female  Seminary,  and  the  Catholic  Col- 
legiate Institute,  stand  as  monuments  to 
attest  a people’s  integrity  and  worth. 

There  are  two  weekly  papers  published 
at  Santa  Clara  — the  Index  and  News. 
Stages  leave  daily  for  Los  Gatos,  seven 
miles;  Lexington,  ten  miles;  and  the  Con- 
gress Springs,  thirteen  miles;  fare,  ten 
cents  per  mile.  These  springs  are  resorted 
to  by  those  suffering  with  pulmonary 
complaints. 

The  Bay  Coast  narrow  gauge  railroad, 
now  building  from  Alameda,  opposite  San 
Francisco,  to  Santa  Cruz,  distance  <6 
miles,  passes  through  Alvarado,  quite  a 
manufacturing  town  on  the  east  side  of 
the  bay,  about  ten  miles  west  of  Niles  to 
Santa  Clara.  The  I'oad  from  Santa  Clara 
will  soon  be  in  running  order;  30  miles 
further  to 

Santa  Cruz,  situated  on  an  arm  of 
Monterey  Bay,  and  is  often  called  the 
“Newport”  of  California,  being  a noted  sum- 
mer resort  for  sea  bathers,  who  find  good 
accommodations  in  the  shape  of  hotels, 
bathing  houses,  etc.  It  is  the  county  seat 
of  Santa  Cruz  county,  population,  3,000; 
connected  by  rail  with  the  Southern  Pa- 
cific at  Pajaro  21  miles  and,  with  Fulton 
eight  miles;  and  by  stage,  with  all  adjoin- 
ing towns  up  and  down  the  coast,  and  by 
steamer  to  San  Francisco. 

Returning  to  Santa  Clara,  we  can,  if 
we  choose,  step  into  the  horse-cars,  or  take 
a carriage  for  San  Jose,  and  ride  over  the 
beautiful  Alameda  Avenue,  which  is 
bordered  on  each  side  with  two  rows  of 
poplar  and  willow  trees,  planted  by  the 
early  Jesuit  missionaries  nearly  100  years 
ago. 

Behind  these  trees  are  elegant  cottages, 


ckofutt’s  new  overland  tourist 


230 


beautiful  orchards,  nurseries,  and  gardens, 
containing  almost  every  variety  of  vege- 
tables, fruits,  and  flowers. 

By  steam  cars  it  is  2.6  miles  from  Santa 
Clara  to 

San  Jose  CiTY~(Pronounced  San  0-za) ; 
population,  18,000.  This  is  the  county 
seat  of  Santa  Clara  county,  and  is  the  larg- 
est town  in  Santa  Clara  Valley,  in  popu- 
lation being  the  fourth  in  the  State.  It 
was  first  settled  by  the  Spanish  mission- 
aries, in  1777.  The  city  is  lighted  with 
gas;  the  streets  are  macadamized,  and 
ornamented  with  row^s  of  shade  trees  on 
each  side.  Artesian  wells,  and  the  “ Cali- 
fornia Wind  Mill,”  together  with  a small 
niountain  stream,  abundantly  supply  the 
city  with  good  water.  The  Alameda^  or 
grove,  was  planted  in  1799.  It  is  by  far 
the  prettiest  grove  of  planted  timber  in  the 
State,  and  by  many  people  it  is  claimed 
that  San  J ose  is  the  prettiest  city  in  the 
State.  It  is  certainly  one  of  the  best  im- 
proved, and  there  are  none  more  beautif^ul. 
Its  orchards,  vineyards  and  shade  trees ; 
its  fine  private  and  public  buildings,  and 
the  delightful  climate  of  the  valley,  render 
it  a favorite  place  of  summer  resort. 

San  Jose  has  numerous  church  edifices — 
ample  public  and  private  schools,  hotels, 
and  newspapers.  The  Mercury  and  In- 
dependent^ both  daily  and  weekly;  the 
Patriot^  daily ; and  Argus^  weekly,  are 
published  here.  The  Auzerais,  St.  James, 
Exchange  and  Lick,  are  the  principal 
hotels.  The  city  is  connected  by  railroad 
with  Solidad,  72  miles,  south,  and  San 
Francisco  by  two  lines — the  one  we  came 
on,  through  the  thickly  settled  and  well- 
cultivated  Santa  Clara  and  San  Mateo 
countries ; distance,  50  miles,  and  by  Cen- 
tral Pacific  via  Niles  and  Oakland. 

The  new  road  to  Mt.  Hamilton  — 20 
miles  distant — leaves  San  Jose,  and  can  be 
seen  winding  up  the  side  of  the  mountain, 
on  the  east.  It  was  for  the  erection  of  a 
college  on  the  summit  of  Mt.  Hamilton — 
altitude,  4,400  feet — that  the  millionaire, 
James  Lick,  left  $150,000  in  his  will — it 
should  be  called  the  Lick  High  Hamilton 
College. 

Stages  leave  San  J ose  daily  for  the  noted 

New  Almaden  Quicksilver  Mines — 
These  mines  are  very  extensive,  and  should 
be  visited  by  the  curious.  They  were  dis- 
covered by  an  officer  in  the  Mexican  ser- 
vice during  the  year  1845,  who,  seeing  the 
Indians  with  their  faces  painted  with  ver- 
milion, bribed  one  of  them,  who  told  him 


where  it  was  to  be  found.  The  following 
year,  several  English  and  Mexicans  formed 
a company  for  working  the  mines,  large 
sums  of  money  were  expended,  and  many 
difficulties  had  to  be  overcome ; but  finally, 
by  the  introduction  of  important  improve- 
ments, the  mines  have  proved  to  be  very 
valuable.  The  different  mines  furnish 
employment  for,  and  support  trom  1,000  to 
1,500  persons.  Nearly  all  the  miners  are 
Mexicans. 

It  is  supposed  that  these  mines  were 
known  and  worked  by  the  native  Indians 
of  California,  long  before  the  country  was 
known  by  white  men.  They  worked  them 
to  procure  the  vermilion  paint  which  the 
ore  contained,  for  the  purpose  of  painting 
and  adorning  their  villainous  persons,  and 
to  “swop”  with  the  neighboring  tribes. 
Near  the  mines  are  the  springs,  where  is 
put  up  the  New  Almaden  Vichy  Water,  so 
noted  for  its  medicinal  qualities.  The 
Guadalupe  Quicksilver  mines  are  ten  miles 
distant. 

Both  San  Jose  and  Santa  Clara  are  em- 
bowered in  trees,  among  which  are  the 
oak,  eucalyptus,  poplar,  spruce  cedar, 
Monterey  and  Italian  cypress,  orange, 
pepper,  sycamore,  and  many  others. 

Leaving  San  Jose,  the  State  Normal 
School  building  is  on  the  left  in  the  center 
of  a block,  surrounded  by  beautiful 
grounds.  Several  miles  further  on  is  the 
Hebrew  Cemetery.  Here  the  road  to  Mt. 
Hamilton  can  be  plainly  seen;  it  is  22 
miles  long  and  30  feet  wide,  with  a uni- 
form grade  of  five  feet  to  the  hundred. 

Away  to  the  right,  on  the  side  of  the 
mountain,  marked  by  a red  appearance,  is 
a quicKsilver  mine,  but  the  water  prevents 
work.  Still  further  and  below,  is  the  New 
Almaden  mine,  marked  by  columns  of 
steam  that  are  always  ascending. 

Coyote  Creek  is  now  on  our  left,  in  a 
broad,  low  bottom.  The  small  stations  of 
Eden  Vale,  Coyote  aud  Perrys,  are 
soon  passed,  and  18.8  miles  from  San  Jose, 
we  are  at 

Madrone — The  country  passed  over  is 
well  settled,  and  many  fine  residences  are 
scattered  along  the  valley,  which  is  about 
one  mile  in  width,  with  low  rolling  hills 
on  the  west. 

Leaving  Madrone,  on  the  right  a huge 
sharp  cone  rises  up  out  of  the  valley  1,000 
feet  in  height.  We  call  it  Johnson’s 
Peak,  named  for  the  enterprising  newsman 
of  this  road. 

Tennants — is  four  miles  furlher,  be- 


AND  PACIFIC  COAST  GUIDE. 


231 


yond  which  is  the  most  magnificent  moss 
view  that  one  could  conceive.  Sycamore 
and  moss-drooping  oaks  are  very  plentiful, 
reminding  one  of  the  appearance  of  a 
New  England  apple  orchard  after  a storm 
of  snow  and  rain,  where  all  the  limbs  and 
boughs  are  borne  down  with  icicles  and 
snow. 

Gilroy — is  seven  and  a half  miles  from 
Tennant  and  80.3  miles  from  San  Francisco ; 
a regular  eating  station,  where  trains  stop 
twenty  minutes  for  meals,  which  are  x>ery 
good;  price,  50  cents.  Gilroy  contains  a 
population  of  about  2,000,  most  of  whom 
are  engaged  in  agricultural  and  pastoral 
pursuits.  Tobacco  is  raised  in  large  quan- 
tities, and  dairying  is  made  a specialty  by 
many  of  the  people.  The  principal  hotels 
are  the  Southern  Pacific  and  the  Williams. 

Stages  leave  Gilroy  for  San  Fillipe,  10 
miles;  Los  Banos,  48  miles;  and  Fire- 
baughs,  80  miles  east ; fare  ten  cents  per 
mile.  Stages  run  daily  to  the  Gilroy  Hot 
Springs,  a very  attractive  resort,  15  miles 
I east.  From  Gilroy  it  is  2.2  miles  to 
■ Carnadero — a small  station  where  pas- 
i senger  trains  meet,  and  from  which  a track 
. branches  to  the  left  and  continues  up  the 
Santa  Clara  Valley,  11.8  miles  to 
- Hollester — a thrifty  town  of  2,000  in- 

'l  habitants,  most  of  whom  are  agriculturists, 
j From  Hollester  it  is  6.2  miles  to  Trespinos 
— the  end  of  the  track. 

From  this  point  large  quantities  of 
; freight  are  shipped  for  the  New  Idria 
j Quicksilver,  Picacho  and  other  mines  in 
the  country,  to  the  south  and  east.  Stages 
f run  tri-weekly  to  San  Bruno,  25  miles; 

New  Idria,  fe  miles;  Picacho,  75  miles; 

[ fare  about  ten  cents  per  mile. 

^ The  original  route  of  the  Southern 
Pacific  railroad  was  from  this  point,  via 

1 San  Benito  Pass  to  Goshen,  in  the  San 
j Joaquin  Valley.  Prom  Goshen  the  road  is 
J built  a distance  of  40  miles  this  way,  to 
* Huron.  Whether  the  link  between  the  two 
; divisions  will  be  completed  and  when,  we 

will  never  tell,  till  we  know.  The  distance 
across  to  Huron  is,  to  San  Benito  Pass,  60 
C miles ; to  Huron,  100  miles. 

? Returning  to  Carnadero,  we  soon  come 

2 to  the  great  Bloomfield  Ranche,  which 
takes  in  many  thousand  acres,  crossing 
the  valley  and  over  the  mountains,  on  each 
side.  It  is  the  home  of  Mr.  Miller,  of  Lux 

y & Miller,  the  great  cattle  men.  At  Baden, 
twelve  miles  from  San  Francisco,  we  pass 
Mr.  Lux’s  place,  the  “ Twelve  Mile  Farm.” 
^ On  this  ranche  are  kept  and  fattened  great 


numbers  of  cattle,  for  the  market  of  San 
Francisco. 

Continuing  up  the  valley,  which  is  here 
narrowed  to  one  mile  in  width,  with  low- 
grass-covered  hills  on  each  side,  we  come  to 
the  residence  of  Senator  Sargent,  on 
the  right,  and  a short  distance  further, 

Sargent  Station — in  the  midst  of  a 
dairy  country.  Stages  leave  here  for  San 
Juan,  south,  six  miles  distant,  up  a little 
valley  to  the  left,  distinctly  seen  a few  miles 
further  on  our  way. 

Soon  after  leaving  the  station,  we  turn 
more  to  the  westward,  and  the  little  valley 
is  completely  crowded  out  by  the  bluffs, 
and  we  run  along  on  the  bank  of  Pajaro 
River,  up  a narrow  canyon,  and  cross  the 
line  between  Santa  Clara  and  Santa  Cruz 
county,  at  the  point  where  Pescadero 
Creek  comes  in  on  the  right.  Continuing 
up,  between  high  bluffs,  we  cross  a bridge 
over  the  Pathro  River  ahd  are  in  San 
Benito  county,  then  dive  through  a tunnel 
950  feet  long,  and  come  out  into  the  beauti- 
ful Pajaro  Valley,  which  is  nine  miles  long 
and  four  wide,  a portion  of  the  Aroma 
Grant,  once  a very  extensive  one.  The 
Santa  Cruz  Mountains  are  high,  on  the 
right,  and  covered  with  a dense  growth  of 
redwoods.  Passing  Vega,  a signal  station, 
we  come  to 

Pajaro— (pronounced  Pad-ro)  thirteen 
miles  from  Sargent’s,  and  99.4  from  San 
Francisco. 

AVatsonville — is  one  mile  to  the  right 
from  this  station,  and  contains  a popula- 
tion of  4,000,  and  is  a thrifty  town,  situated 
three  miles  from  AVatson’s  landing,  on 
Monterey  Bay,  where  steamers  and  other 
vessels  land  regularly.  It  contains  two 
weekly  papers,  the  Pajaronian  and  the 
Transcript.  The  Lewis  House  is  the  prin- 
cipal hotel. 

From  Pajaro,  the  Santa  Cruz,  narrow- 
gauge  railroad  connects  with  the  Southern 
Pacific.  This  road  is  21.15  miles  long  and 
runs  through  AA^atsonville,  Aptos,  and 
Soquel,to  Santa  Cruz.  (See  map,  page  201.) 
The  lumber  business  is,  next  to  the  agri- 
cultural, the  most  important  interest  in 
this  section  of  the  country.  Prom  Pajaro, 
our  course  will  be  east  of  south,  to  the  end 
of  the  road. 

Rolling  down  this  beautiful  valley,  we 
come  to  Elkhorn  Slough,  over  which  our 
road  is  built  on  piles  for  a long  distance. 
To  the  right,  down  this  slough,  is  Moss 
Landing,  nine  miles  distant,  between  which 
and  a pier,  close  on  our  right,  a small 


232 


croputt’s  new  overland  tourist 


steamboat  plies  regularly,  for  the  transpor- 
tation of  freight  and  passengers  for  the 
regular  coast  steamboats  that  stop  at  this 
point. 

We  are  now  running  along,  over  and  be- 
side a salt  marsh,  inhabited  b}''  cranes,  peli- 
cans, ducks  and  mud-hens,  with  peat -bogs 
and  stagnant  pools  for  immediate  sur- 
roundings, while  to  the  left,  a half-mile 
away,  is  high  rolling  i)rairie,  covered  with 
cattle  and  sheep,  beyond,  the  long  range  of 
the  Gabilan  Mountains,  while  to  the 
far  right  an  occasional  glimpse  can  be  had 
of  Old  Pacific. 

A run  of  10.3  miles  from  Pajaro,  and  the 
train  stops  at 

Castroville— one-half  mile  to  the  west  of 
the  railroad;  population  about  800.  The 
town  is  situated  at  the  northern  end  of  Sali- 
nas Valley,  in  Monterey  county,  one  of  the 
most  productive  in  the  State.  It  is  recorded 
in  the  Agricultural  Bureau  in  Washington, 
that  the  largest  yield  of  wheat  ever  known 
was  grown  in  this  valley,  in  1852,  being  102 
bushels  to  the  acre.  That  year  whole  fields 
averaged  100  bushels  to  the  acre;  an  ordi- 
nary crop  is  from  40  to  50  bushels.  In 
187(5,  Monterey  county  produced  800,000 
bushels  of  wheat,  400,000  bushels  of  barley, 

70.000  bushels  of  oats,  and  other  productions 
in  proportion.  Sheep  and  cattle  in  large 
numbers  are  raised.  Tue  wool-clip  for 
1876  amounted  to  1,500,000  lbs.;  butter, 

360.000  lbs. ; cheese,  120,000  lbs. ; average 
value  of  land,  $8  per  acre.  The  lands  in 
this  valley  are  mostly  “ safe  lands,”  i.  e , 
will  raise  a crop  without  irrigation.  Emi- 
grant, this  is  a good  place  for  you  to  come  to. 

To  the  east,  beside  the  mountains,  can  be 
seen,  at  certain  points  after  leaving  Cas- 
troville, the  little  villages  of  Natividad  and 
Sodaville,  also  the  Alisal  race-track. 

As  we  proceed  southward,  the  valley 
widens  and  appeal’s  more  beautiful. 

Salinas — is  7.0  miles  south  of  Castro- 
ville, situated  to  the  right  of  the  road,  and 
on  the  east  bank  of  Salinas  River,  with  a 
thriving  population  of  3,000,  and  many 
fine  stores,  hotels,  and  private  residences. 
The  Abbott  House  is  the  principal  hotel, 
and  the  Index  and  Democrat  are  two 
papers  published  here  weekly. 

Stages  leave  daily  for  New  Republic, 
east,  three  miles;  Natividad,  northeast, 
six  miles ; fare,  ten  cents  per  mile.  From 
Salinas  a railroad  extends  nineteen  miles 
west  to 

Monterey — This  place  is  situated  on 
the  southern  extreme  of  the  bay  of  Monie- 


rey,  the  most  capacious  on  the  Pacific 
Coast,  136  miles  from  San  Francisco  by 
rail,  and  about  100  by  steamer,  immedi- 
ately to  the  westward  of  the  citv  is  Point 
Pinos,  jutting  out  to  the  northward  four 
miles,  to  meet  Point  Santa  Cruz,  another 
long  promontorv  extending  from  the 
north,  between  which  and  the  main  land— - 
land-locked  as  it  were— is  the  broad  bay  of 
Monterey.  This  bay  was  first  discovered 
by  Cabrillo  in  1542.  In  1770,  the  site  was 
occupied  by  the  Jesuits,  under  the  leader- 
ship of  Padre  Junipero,  who,  June  3d  of 
that  year,  held  the  first  mass.  The  bell 
which  called  the  faithful  together  was 
hung  from  a tree,  the  location  of  which  is 
now  marked  by  a cross,  erected  on  the 
centennial  day  of  its  celebration,  bearing 
the  legend,  “June  3d,  1770.”  On  the  hill, 
near  this  cross,  are  the  ruins  of  an  old  fort, 
near  a Mexican  fort  of  later  date;  and 
higher  up  the  hill  is  where  the  Americnn 
fort  of  1846  was  built,  when  the  Ameri-  i 
cans  seized  the  country. 

Monterey  is  a quiet,  sleepy  old  town, 
where  every  person  seems  satisfied  with 
himself,  apparently  believing  the  world  is 
completed;  living  on  in  the  dreamy  self- 
satisfied  consciousness  that  the  spirit  of 
progress  is  at  an  end ; a p'^esent  tangible 
heaven  of  eternal  sunshine.  It  is  a glori- 
ous place  to  spend  a few  weeks;  having 
done  so,  the  pleasurable  memories  of  the 
sojourn  will  ever  remain  a ray  of  soft  sun- 
shine, while  plodding  through  the  cares, 
trials  and  perplexities  of  an  active  business 
life.  Monterey — as  one  might  well  sup-  I 
pose — is  a tavorite  resort  in  the  summer  I ' 
for  the  better  classes  of  citizens  of  the  State,  I 
as  well  as  for  tourists,  who  find  ample  ? 
accommodations.  ' 

Returning  to  Salinas,  and  starting  once  ! 
more  for  the  south,  we  find  this  to  be  the 
widest  portion  of  Salinas  Valley,  which  is 
about  90  miles  in  length,  with  an  average 
width  of  eight  miles.  The  valley  is  situ- 
ated between  the  Gabilan  Mountains,  to  i 
the  eastward,  and  Santa  Lucian  Range  on  ' 
the  west,  about  20  miles  from  the  Pacific 
Ocean,  from  the  winds  of  which  it  is  i)ro- 
tected  by  the  mountain  named. 

CiiUALAR — is  tl  e next  station,  10.9  miles 
from  Salinas,  and  consists  of  several  stores, 
hotels,  salooDS,  and  a dozen  or  more  resi- 
dences. Here  are  cattle  pens  and  shiites, 
indicating  that  we  are  in  a countjy  where 
cattle  are  shipped  to  market;  the  same 
might  be  said  of  Gonzat.es,  a station  six 
miles  further,  only  (here  are  a few  more 


AXl)  PACIFIC  COAST  GUIDE. 


233 


people,  “scratching  ” the  soil,  which  is 
greatly  abused  by  this  shiftless  method  of 
farming.  Proceeding  on  8.4  miles  further, 
we  reach  the  end  of  the  track  at 

SoLiDAD — Tills  IS  a small  place  of  a 
hundred  or  more  inhabitants,  with  a few 
stores,  hotels,  saloons,  stage-stables,  freiglih 
warehouses,  and  some  private  residences. 
It  is  a point  from  wdiich  a large  amount  of 
freight  is  shipped  to  the  southward,  and 
from ‘which  a regular  daily  line  of  stages 
runs  to  the  following  places:  Lowe’s,  28 
miles;  Solon,  40  miles,  Paso  Robles 
Hot  Springs,  80  miles ; San  Louis  Obispo, 
110  miles;  Arroyo  Grande,  125  miles; 
Gaudalupe,  140  miles,  Santa  Barbara,  220 
miles;  San  Buena  Ventura,  250  miles, 
and  Hewhall,  300  miles;  average  fare, 
eight  cents  per  mile 

To  the  westward  of  Solidad,  seven  miles, 
away  up  a cosy  nook  of  the  Coast  Range, 
is  situated  the  Pauaiso  Springs,  which,  it 
is  claimed,  possess  great  medicinal  qual- 


ities, particularly  valuable  in  cases  of 
rheumatism,  asthma,  and  kindred  diseases. 
We  could  hear  of  no  analysis  of  these 
waters,  which  boil  up  in  close  proximity 
to  each  other.  Some  are  very  hot,  others 
very  cold— but  soda,  iron,  and  white  sul- 
phur are  the  principal  ingredients. 

Ample  hotel  accommodations  will  be 
found  at  the  Springs,  where  bathing  in  the 
waters,  hunting,  fishing,  and  inhaling  the 
pure  mountain  air  can  be  enjoyed  to  the 
heart’s  content. 

In  conclusion,  this  is  one  of  those  trips 
where  a great  diversity  of  scenery,  numer- 
ous objects  of  interest  and  the  wealth  and 
beauties,  and  the  varied  productions  of  the 
State  can  be  seen  and  contemplated. 

Returning  to  San  Francisco,  and  before 
leaving  again,  and  for  the  last  time,  we 
will  refer  those  of  our  readers  who  wish 
to  procure  other  publications  treating  of 
this  country  in  a more  general  way  to 
Annex  No.  51. 


234 


cboputt’s  new  ovekland  tourist 


TA-BZ-iE. 

VISALI4  DIVISION  OENTEAL  PACIFIC  EAILEOAD, 

FROM  LATH  HOP  TO  TULARE 


E.  C.  Fellows,  Biv. 


■R.  B.  Campbell,  Asst.Div.  Supt. 


TOWARDS  SUNRISE. 


Daily 
Emigrant 
and  freigtit. 


5:00 

1:00 

1:36 

2:05 

2:25 

3:07 

3:35 

4:30 

5:35 

6:19 

7:00 

8:15 

8:40 

9:20 

9:53 

10:05 

10:43 

11:25 

12:10 

1:00 

1:40 

2:10 

3:00 


Daily 
Express 
Ist  &2d  cl’s 


4:00 
pm  4:25 


8:15* 

8:29 

8:40 

8:47 

9:03 

9:14 

9:35 

10:00 

10:16 

10:35 

11:18 

11:33 

11:54 

12:10 

12:18 

12:35 

1:00 

1:23 

1:46 

2:05 

2:20 

2:50 


p m 


p m 


p m 


Distance 
from  San 
Francisco 


SAN  FRANCISCO  TIME. 


STATIONS. 


....0... 

..3.7... 


p m 


.82... 


...93.. 
...96  . 
.102. 
.107.. . 
.115.. 
.126... 
.132... 
.140... 
.150... 
.156... 
.166... 
.173... 
.176... 
.185... 
.195... 
.204... 
.215... 
.223... 
.229  ... 
.239.... 


LV....SAN  FRANCISCO.... Ar 
Oakland  Wharf 


towards  sundown. 


Altitude. 


....0.... 

...14.... 


...26.... 


91.... 


.171... 


Rv LATHROP Ar 

Morrano... 

Ripon 

Salida i 

Modesto 

Ceres i *, 

Turlock i 

Chessey 

‘Atwater 

Merced 

Plains  burgh 

• Minturn 

Berenda 

Madera 

Barden ] ] . 

Sycamore i ! .*  * 

Fresno ’ 

Fowler ’ 

Kingsburgh 

Cross  Creek !!|... 

^ Goshen ’ * ’ ’“278 

TULARE .Arl.'.'.'ssl.'.'.'.' 


Daily 

Express 

lst&2dcPs 


12:40 

12:25 


p m 


Daily 
Emigrant 
and  freight 


.292.... 


8:20* 

8:05 

7:55 

7:47 

7:30 

7:20 

7:00 

6:35 

6:19 

5:40 

5:15 

4:58 

4:33 

4:15 

4:06 

3:44 

3:17 

2:53 

2:25 

2:05 

1:50 

1:20 


7:00  am 


10:00 

9::40 

9:03 

8:47 

7:55 

2:27 

6:35 

5:.35 

4:55 

3:45 

2:58 

2:28 

1:43 

1:08 

12:55 

12:10 

11:25 

10:40 

9:50 

9:10 

8:40 

7:50 


p m 


p m 


p ni 


TULARE  DIVISION  SOUTHERN  PAOIFIO. 

FROM  TULARE  TO  MOJaVA. 


3:20  p m 

2:55 

[...239.... 

4:10 

3:18  am 

..  .:^50.... 

f :07 

3:45 

...262.... 

5:46 

4:03 

...270.... 

6:43 

4:30 

...282.... 

7:20 

4:46 

...290.... 

8:20 

5:14 

...302  ... 

10:00 

5:45 

...317.... 

10:50 

6:10 

...324.... 

11:35 

6:32 

. ..3:30.... 

12:30  a m 

7:05 

1:05 

7:25 

1 :50 

7:50 

...350.... 

2:37 

8:18 

...359... 

3:05 

8:35 

...364..., 

3:35  am 

8:50*  a m 

...370.... 

Ev TULARE  .77. Ar 

Tipton. 

Aliia. . 

Delano. 

Poso. . 

Lerdo. 

Sumner 

Pam  pa 


..1290.... 


Caliente 

Bealville 

Keene ' 

Girard 

Tehachapia  Summit 

Cameron 

^ N adeau ' ' I 

Ar MOJAVA V.vl ; ;2757 


...282.... 

...267, 


.313.. 


.415... 


..3964.... 


1:15 

12:50 

12:19 

11:58 

11:28 

11:08 

1C:37 

10:00 

9:40 

9:17 

8:47 

8:28 

8:00 

7:32 

7:15 

7:00* 


‘ Meals. 


p m 


:35  a m 
:50 
:00 
:23 
:30 
:40 
25 
:55 

10  a m 
35 
;33 
55 
05 
10 


8: 

7: 

7 :05  pm 


Note  Altitude. 


Ho!  for  Yo-Semite,  the  “Big  Trees” 
over  the  “Loop,”  across  the  Mojava  Des- 
ert, down  through  Solidad,  and  to  Los 
Angeles;  then,  over  the  San  Barnardino, 
down  under  the  sea,  over  the  great  Colorado 
Desert,  into  Arizona. 


Towards  l^nnrise. 

Leaving  San  Francisco,  the  route  is  via 
Oakland,  Niles,  and  Livermore  Pass,  to 
Lathrop,  over  the  track  of  the  Overland 
line  as  described — commencing  on  page 
208.  Just  before  reaching  Latliro]),  our 


AND  PACIFIC  COAST  GUIDE.  235 

train  leaves  the  track  of  the  Overland  and 
turns  to  the  right,  leaving  the  station  build- 
ing between  ours  and  the  Overland  track. 

At  Lathrop  our  train  stops  HO  minutes 
for  supper,  and  then  turns  to  the  right,  up 
the  Great  San  Joaquin  Valley  The 
general  direction  of  our  road,  for  the  next 
350  miles,  is  to  the  southeast. 

San  Joaquin  (pronounced  San  Waw- 
Keen).— This  valley  embraces  portions  of 
nine  counties,  and  is  larger  than  many 
kingdoms  of  the  old  world,  far  richer , 

extending  to  Visalia,  county  seat  of  Tulare 
county.  The  amount  of  grain  and  stock 
raised  in  this  valley,  and  the  hundreds  of 
smaller  ones  tributary  to  it,  is  almost  in- 
credible, for  a country  so  recently  settled. 
The  valley  is  about  200  miles  in  length, 
and  averages  about  30  miles  in  width; 
comprising  near  6,000,000  acres  of  the 
richest  agricultural  lands  in  the  State, 
besides  near  a million  acres  of  tuiles  and 
salt  marsh  lands,  which,  when  reclaimed, 
prove  to  be  the  most  fertile  lands  in  the 
world, 

Morano — is  5.5  miles  from  Lathrop, 
important  only,  as  many  ether  stations  on 
this  road  are,  as  a shipping  point  for 
grain,  with  side-track  and  great  storage 
warehouses, 

Ripon — comes  next,  4.7  miles  further, 
near  which  the  Stanislaus  River  is  crossed, 
and  three  miles  more  comes 

Halida — another  small  station,  with 
accommodations  for  shipping  and  storing 
grain.  From  Salida  it  is  6.8  miles  to 

Modesto — the  county  seat  of  Stanis- 
laus county.  It  was  laid  out  in  1870,  and 
now  contains  a population  of  over  1,500, 
while  the  county  contains  about  11,000 
Agriculture  is  the  chief  occupation  of  the 
people 

Leaving  Modesto,  we  cross  the  Ton- 
lumna  River,  and  in  4.6  miles  reach  Ceres, 
a small,  unimportant  side-track,  8.5  miles 
from  Turlocks,  another  small  station, 
10-1  miles  from  Cressey,  reached  just  after 
crossing  the  Mercede  River.  Continuing 
on  6.7  miles,  Atwater  is  reached.  At 
this  station,  as  well  as  those  we  have  passed 
are  large  buildings  for  storing  grain, 
as  grain-raising — wheat — is  the  only  occu- 
pation of  the  settlers.  From  Atwater  it  is 
7.5  miles  to  one  of  the  most  important 
places  so  far  on  the  road, 

Mercede — the  county  seat  of  Mercede 
county ; population  about  3,000 ; has  many 
fine  buildings,  including  a $75,000  court 
house  and  a large  first-class  hotel,  the  El 

Capitan,  Col.  Bross,  proprietor.  There  are 
two  weekly  papers  published  in  Mercede, 
the  Argus  and  the  Express. 

From  Mercede  it  is  ten  miles  east,  to  the 
foot-hills  and  thirty  to  the  western  edge  of 
the  valley,  at  the  base  of  the  Contra  Costa 
Range. 

The  county  of  Mercede  is  the  richest  in 
the  valley;  it  had  360,700  acres  of  land 
under  cultivation  in  1876,  which  yielded  a 
little  over  4,500,000  bushels  of  wheat,  be- 
sides large  quantities  of  barley,  rye,  corn, 
peas,  beans,  potatoes,  hay,  tobacco,  cotton 
and  many  other  kinds  of  crops  The 
county  contains  a population  of  65,000, 
most  of  whom  are  tilling  the  soil  In  this 
county  was  raised  the  finest  cotton  in  the 
State.  The  value  of  these  lands  ranges 
from  $2.50  to  $10  per  acre. 

The  game  is  plentiful  in  the  river  bot- 
toms and  along  the  foot-hills.  Irrigating 
canals  convey  water  over  a great  portion  of 
the  land.  Some  of  these  canals  are  quite 
extensive;  one,  the  San  Joaquin  & King's 
River  Canal  is  100  miles  long,  68  feet  wide 
and  six  feet  deep. 

For  several  years  the  greater  portion  of 
the  travel  for  Yo-Semite  Valley  and  the  big 
tree  groves  took  stages  at  Mercede,  passing 
over  the  route,  via  Coulterville  or  Mari- 
posa, but  a new  route  (see  map,  page  201) 
has  been  laid  out  from  Madera,  33  miles 
further  south,  which,  it  is  claimed,  makes 
the  distance  by  stage  much  shorter,  and 
over  a better  road  However,  we  shall 
give  both  routes  in  Annex  No  53,  and 
tourists  can  decide  which  they  will  take. 
Should  they  go  in  on  one  and  out  on  the 
other  route,  little  of  the  scenery  will  be 
overlooked, 

Mariposa — countj^  seat  of  Mariposa 
county,  is  45  miles  east,  reached  by  stage 
from  Mercede,  This  town  contains  about 
1,000  inhabitants  Once  it  was  noted  for 
its  rich  placer  mines,  but  now  quartz 
mining  is  the  principal  occupation  of  the 
people.  In  Bear  Valley  are  the  mills  and 
mines  (or  a portion  of  them)  belonging  to 
the  “ Las  Mariposa  Grant,”  or  the  Fremont 
estate,  as  it  is  usually  called.  The  Benton 
mills  are  on  the  Mercede  River,  about  two 
miles  from  the  town,  reached  by  a good 
dug  road,  down  a very  steep  mountain  In 
Mount  Ophir  and  Princeton,  mining  towns 
near  by,  are  large  quartz  mills,  belonging 
to  the  estate  and  extensive  mines. 

Leaving  Mercede,  it  is  9.9  miles  to 
Plaiinsbnrg; — a small  station  near 
the  crossing  of  Mariposa  River,  beyond 

336 


ckofutt’s  new  overland  tourist 


which  the  Conchilla  River  is  crossed,  and 
Minturn  is  reached  6.4  miles  Irom  Plains- 
hurg,  in  the  extreme  western  edge  of  Fresno 
county.  For  a long  distance  the  foot-hiils  of 
the  Sierras  on  the  left  have  appeared  to  be 
close  and  very  rugged.  The  peaks  of  Mt. 
Lyell  and  Ritter  loom  up  on  the  left,  full 
80  miles  away,  and  a little  further  south- 
ward Mts.  Goddard,  King,  Gardner 
Brewer,  Silliman,  Tyndall  and  others  can 
be  distinctly  seen  with  their  summits 
covered  with  snow. 

Bereiida  —is  reached  9.5  miles  from 
Minturn  soon  after  which  we  cross  the 
Fresno  River,  and  many  broad,  sandy,  dry 
creeks,  and,  7.5  miles  more,  come  to 
Madera— This  is  a busy  town  of 
about  300  population.  Here  we  find  a 
large  “ V ” flume,  53  miles  long,  for  float- 
ing  lumber  down  from  the  saw-mills  in  the 
mountains  at  the  end  of  the  flume.  It  was 
completed  in  1876,  and  does  an  immense 
business. 

From  Madera,  a new  road  has  been 
completed  into  the  Yo-Semite  Valley,  via 
Fresno  Flats,  through  Fresno  and  Mari- 
posa big  tree  groves.  For  map  of  route, 
see  page  201,  and  for  description  of  route, 
Annex  ISTo.  53. 

Ko  visitor  to  this  coast  ever  thinks  of 
leaving  it  without  viewing  the  wonderful. 

Yo-Semite  Valley  and  the  Bio 
Trees— The  grandest  scenery  on  the 
American  Continent,  if  not  in  the  world, 
is  to  be  seen  in  the  valley  of  the  Yo- 
Semite,  (pronounced  Yo-Sem-i-te;  by  the 
Indians,  Yo-Ham-i-te).  This  valley  was 
discovered  by  white  men  in  March,  1851, 
first  by  Major  Savage.  It  is  about  eight 
miles  long,  and  from  one-half  to  a mile  in 
width.  The  Merced  River  enters  the  head 
of  the  valley  by  a ^ series  of  waterfalls, 
which  combined  with  the  perpendicular 
granite  walls  which  rise  on  either  side 
from  2,000  to  6,000  feet  above  the  green 
valley  and  sparkling  waters  beneath — pre- 
sents a scene  of  beauty  and  magniflcenci 
unsurpassed,  except,  possibly,  in  child- 
hood’s  fairy  dreams. 

Here  is  majesty—emhantirig^awe^in- 
spiring-^indescribable! — ^the  lofty  cloud- 
capped  waterfalls  and  mirrored  lakes ; the 
towering,  perpendicular  granite  clifi's  and 
fearful  chasms,  strike  the  beholder  with  a 
wondering  admiration  impossible  to  de- 
scribe. 

We  have  often  desired  to  take  our  read- 
ers with  us,  in  a pen  and  pencil  descrip- 
tion of  this  most  remarkable  valley,  and 


the  “ Big  Trees,”  but  in  view  of  our  lim- 
ited space,  the  magnitude  of  the  under- 
taking, together  with  our  conscious  in- 
ability to  do  justice  to  the  subject,  we  have 
contented  ourselves  by  giving  a number  of 
beautiful  illustrations,  which  include  the 
great  Yo-Semite  Falls,  Nevada  Falls,  Mir- 
ror  Lake,  ana  a map  of  the  routes  and  the 
surrounding  country,  showing  the  rela- 
tive position  of  the  valley,  trees,  and  ad- 
joining  towns  to  the  railroad. 

The  most  notable  falls  in  Yo-Semite 
Valley  are:  the  Ribbon,  3,300  feet  fall; 
the  Upper  Yo-Semite,  2,634  feet;  the 
Bridal  Veil,  950;  the  Nevada,  700;  the 
Lower  Yo-Semite,  600;  the  Vernal,  350 
feet.  Tlie  South  Home  is  6,000  feet  high  • 
the  Three  Brothers,  4,000;  Cap  of  Liberty! 
4,240;  Three  Graces,  3,750;  North  Home, 
3,725;  Glaciers  Point,  3,705;  El-Capitain, 
3 300;  Sentinel  Rocks,  3,270;  Cathedral 
Rocks,  2,690;  Wa.shington  Tower,  2,200; 
and  the  Royal  Arches,  1,800  feet  high. 

In  conclusion,  we  would  refer  those  of 
our  readers  who  desire  full  information 
concerning  this  wonderful  country,  to 
‘‘  Scenes  of  Wonder  and  Curiosity  in  Cal- 
ifornia,” by  J.  M.  Hutchings,  of  Yo-Semite. 
This  book  is  a thorough  guide-book  of  Yo- 
Semite  Valley,  profusely  illustrated,  viv- 
idly describing  every  object  of  interest, 
step  by  step,  with  facts  and  figures,  telling 
just  what  the  tourist  wants  to  know. 

From  Madera,  the  country  is  more 
adapted  for  grazing,  and  large  herds  of 
sheep  can  be  seen  while  passing  through. 
It  contains  over  150,000  head  of  sheep 
from  which  is  clipped  2,000,000  pounds  of 
wool  annually. 

The  old  Fresno  placer  mines  are  to  the 
eastward,  along  tne  foot-hills,  but  little 
is  being  done  wdth  them,  by  the  whites; 
the  Chinese  are  working  them  over,  as  they 
are  many  of  the  abandoned  placers 
throughout  the  State. 

Bordem  — on  Cottonwood  Creek,  is 
the  next  station.  This  place  is  2.8  miles 
from  Madera,  with  about  100  population. 
Here  irrigating  ditches  appear  on  each 
side,  and  much  of  the  land  is  under  culti- 
vation. Nine  miles  further  comes  Syca- 
more, a side-track  of  little  account,  just 
at  the  crossing  of  the  San  Joaquin  River, 
which  is  here  a small  stream,  with  very 
little  water.  The  country  is  now  quite 
flat,  with  many  little  round  mounds  from 
ten  to  thirty  feet  in  diameter,  and  from 
two  to  five  feet  in  height.  They  j)rcsent 
a very  peculiar  appearance,  somewhat  re- 


AND  PACIFIC  COAST  GUIDE. 


237 


sembling  a prairie  dog  town,  only  much 
larger,  and  without  the  hole  in  the  top. 

From  Sycamc.re  it  is  9.8  miles  to 

ITresno— the  county  seat  of  Fresno 
county,  a county  the  most  diversified  in 
the  State,  where  land  can  be  purchased  for 
from  $3.00  to  $10  per  acre.  The  town  of 
Fresno  has  a population  of  about  800,  has 
a $60,000  court-house,  some  good  business 
blocks,  two  weekly  newspapers — the  Ex- 
positor  and  Eemew — and  is  a thrifty,  grow- 
ing place.  The  soil  about  the  town  is 
largely  clay,  producing  well  when  irri- 
gated, and  never  a seed  without. 

A most  beautiful  view  is  here  to  be  ob- 
tained of  the  mountains  on  the  left;  the 
principal  peaks  rise  from  12,000  to  14,000 
feet  above  this  valley,  covered  with  snow 
the  year  round  Planted  timber  appears 
at  places,  and  some  of  the  private  resi- 
dences are  surrounded  by  trees,  mostly 
eucalyptus, 

A stage  line  runs  to  Centreville,  seventeen 
miles  east.  Several  schemes  are  in  hand 
for  building  large  irrigating  canals,  taking 
the  water  from  the  San  Joaquin  and  King’s 
rivers,  which,  when  completed,  will  be  of 
great  benefit  to  this  people. 

To  the  southwest,  three  and  a half  miles, 
is  located  the  California  Colony  of  about 
125  families  The  colony’s  land  is  regu- 
larly laid  out  for  a town,  with  40  acres  of 
ground  for  each  family.  The  canal  that 
supplies  water  to  the  colony  is  crossed 
about  five  miles  after  leaving  Fresno. 
Little  of  the  land  along  here  lying  near  the 
road  is  cultivated,  but  when  the  irrigating 
canals  spoken  of  are  completed,  they  will 
all  be  found  occupied  and  yielding  large 
crops. 

From  Fresno  it  is  9.6  miles  to 

I'owler — a small  station  where  trains 
seldom  stop,  there  being  only  half-a-dozen 
buildings— so  we  roll  on  10.5  miles  fiu  • 
ther  to 

Kingsbury— where  there  are  several 
stores,  and  about  one  dozen  buildings. 

All  along  this  valley  numerous  wind- 
mills are  in  operation,  for  irrigating  and 
domestic  purposes,  that  raise  abundance  of 
good  water  from  a depth  of  from  fifteen  to 
forty  feet.  Soon  after  leaving  Kingsbury, 
the  road  is  built  on  an  embankment  which 
extends  to  King’s  River,  which  is  crossed 
on  a long  trestle  bridge. 

This  river  rises  in  the  high  Sierras,  to 
the  northeast,  and  after  reaching  this  val- 
ley, has  a broad,  sandy  bottom,  is  very 
crooked,  its  course  being  marked,  far 


above  and  below,  with  trees  and  willows 
which  grow  thickly  along  its  bank.  King’s 
River,  where  the  railroad  crosses  it,  is  the 
boundary  line,  beyond  which  lies  the 
county  of  Tulare. 

Sheep  ranches,  fenced  fields— some  very 
large — are  now  noticeable  extending  to  the 
right  and  left — well  we  don’t  know  how  ! 
far,  as  the  valley  hereabout  is  full  40  miles 
in  width,  and  sheep  and  fences,  and  fences  j 
and  sheep,  extend  as  far  as  the  eye  can 
distinguish  the  appearance  of  the  land,  the 
soil  of  which  is  clay  and  sand,  in  places 
somewhat  alkaline.  Cattle  are  also 
raised  to  some  extent  in  the  foot-hills,  and 
pens  and  shutes  for  shipping  are  to  be 
seen  at  many  of  the  stations  on  the  road. 

The  next  station  is  Cross  Creek,  8.1 
miles  from  Kingsburg,  and  5,8  miles  from 

Ooi^heu-  Here  we  come  to  the  South- 
ern Pacific  railroad — Goshen  Division — 
the  track  of  which  could  be  seen  on  the 
right,  just  before  reaching  the  station.  This 
division  is  only  completed  40  miles,  and  is 
designed,  eventually,  to  connect  with  the 
line  extending  towards  it  from  Gilroy, 
which  is  now  completed  to  Trespinos  100 
miles  south  of  San  Francisco,  referred  to 
on  page  231. 

The  stations  on  the  Goshen  division  are* 
Hanford,  12.9  miles  from  Goshen*,  Le- 
MOOR,  eight  miles  further;  Heinlen,  1.6 
miles,  and  17.5  more  to 

Huron — whole  distance,  40  miles  from 
Goshen , distance  from  Huron  to  Trespi- 
nos, 100  miles.  This  division  runs  through 
what  IS  knowm  as  the  “ Mussel  Slough  ” 
country,  tt  section  where  the  land  is  very 
rich,  adjoining  Tulare  Lake,  on  the  north, 
wher''  the  yield  of  all  kinds  of  crops  is 
marvelous  Reports  say  some  of  these 
lanas  have  yielded  as  high  as  $250  per 
acre  in  a singb  year ; that  fioe  crops  of 
Alfalfa  a year  is  common,  and  vegetables — 
well,  wo  will  never  tell  you — the  yield  is 
immense  ! two  hundred  pound  pumpkins, 
eight  feet  in  circumference ; potatoes  twelve 
pounds  in  weight,  and  cornstalks  20  feet 
high,  are  some  of  the  figures  The  price 
of  land  ranges  from  $20  to  $100  per  acre. 

At  Goshen,  a track  branches  off  to  the 
left,  on  which  cars  are  run  seven  miles  to 

Visalia  — the  county  seat  of  Tulare 
county.  It  contains  about  1,600  inhabi- 
tants, and  is  situated  in  the  midst  of  the 
most  fertile  land  in  the  State,  and  on  the  ^ 
Kaweah  River.  The  country  round  about  j 
presents  to  the  eye  a beautiful  appearance.  | 
Large  oaks  cover  the  plain  in  every  di- 


ckofutt’s  new  overland  tourist 

rection,  and  orchards,  gardens,  vineyards, 
and  well-cultivated  fields  are  to  be  seen  on 
every  hand.  Visalia  is  the  center  of  the 
rich  section  once  known  as  the  “Four 
Creek  Country.” 

The  town  boasts  of  a $75,000  court-house, 
some  good  stores,  gas-works,  several  big 
saw-mills,  six  hotels,  three  weekly  news- 
papers—the  Delta,  Times,  smd  Iron  Age- 
one  bank,  a flouring  mill,  a normal  school 
and  a number  of  public  schools,  and 
churches  of  various  denominations.  Stages 
run  from  Visalia  to  Glenville,  65  miles. 

From  Goshen,  Visalia  is  entirely  ob- 
scured from  view  by  the  tall  oaks  that 
abound  in  this  section  of  the  country  on 
every  side.  These  oaks  are  old  and  ragged 
many  are  fast  decaying,  and  when  gone’ 
the  country  will  be  nearly  bare,  as  there 
are  few  young  trees  growing  to  take  their 
places. 

At  Goshen,  is  the  end  of  the  Visalia 
division  of  the  “ Central,”  and  the  com- 
mencement of  the  Tulare  Division  of  the 
Southern  Pacific— operated  under  a lease 
by  the  “ Central  ” company.  Although 
this  is  the  nominal  end  of  divisions,  all 
changes,  usual  at  such  stations,  are  made 
10.5  miles  further  at 

Tnlare — This  is  a new  town,  as  it 
were,  built  up  under  the  stimulating  in- 
fluences of  a railroad  point  where  are  lo- 
cated extensive  shops,  round  house,  ware 
houses,  and  station  buildings,  incidental  to 
its  being  the  end  of  divisions.  The  town 
contains  about  500  population,  and  is  situ- 
ated in  the  midst  of  a broad  plain  about 
20  miles  east  of  Tulare  Lake,  and  is  a 
thriving  town.  It  is  a point  from  which 
large  amounts  of  freight  are  shipped  on 
wagons,  to  the  adjoining  country,  and 
where  wool  in  great  quantities,  is  brought 
for  shipment  to  San  Francisco. 

The  company’s  shops  and  grounds  at 
this  place — as  is  the  case  in  some  other  lo- 
calities—are  surrounded  \\  ith  rows  of  beau- 
tiful trees,  chief  of  which  is  the  “blue- 
gum.”  These  trees,  from  a distance,  give 
the  place  more  the  appearance  of  grounds 
surrounding  some  palatial  residence,  than 
where  several  hundred  men  are  employed 
Aianipulating  iron.  These  grounds  are 
also  covered  with  green  sward,  which  is 
watered  when  necessary,  by  long  hose  con- 
nected with  the  works. 

Soon  after  leaving  Tulare,  we  cross  Deep 
and  Tulare  creeks,  both  narrow  streams  with 
steep  banks,  rich  soil,  and  lined  with  trees ; 
the  land  is  covered  with  a thick  growth  of 

short  grass.  Passing  the  neigborhood  of 
these  creeks,  the  country  seems  to  suddenly 
change,  and  at 

Tipton— 10.4  miles  from  Tulare,  pre- 
sents a barren  appearance.  To  the  right 
left  and  front,  sheep  abound,  but  not  a tree 
or  shrub.  Five  miles  beyond  Tipton,  are 
groves  of  eucalyptus  trees,  immense  num- 
bers of  which  are  on  both  sides  of  the 
road.  The  lands  here,  that  are  irrigated  at 
all,  are  supplied  with  windmills.  Twelve 
miles  from  Tipton  comes 

Alila — just  after  crossing  Deer  Creek. 

Tulare  Lake,  is  about  seven  miles  west 
of  this  station,  and  is  a body  of  water  cov- 
ering an  area  of  about  7,000  square  miles, 
is  nearly  round,  or  30  miles  long  by  25 
miles  in  width,  in  which  fish  in  great 
varieties  abound,  as  do  ducks,  geese,  and 
other  water  fowl. 

Owens  Lake  — another  large  sheet  of 
water,  but  not  as  large  as  Tulare  by  about 
one-fourth— is  78  miles  from  Alila,  in  a 
northeasterly  direction. 

Passing  on  over  White  River,  8.3  miles, 
we  come  to  Delano,  a place  of  a half- 
dozen  buildings,  just  in  the  edge  of  Kern 
county.  The  country  along  here  is  treeless 
and  not  very  inviting.  Prom  Delano  it  is 
11.8  miles  to  Poso,  and  11.8  miles  more  to 

liCrdo — To  the  southwest,  about  40 
miles,  are  located  the  Buena  Vista  Oil 
Works,  in  a section  of  country  where 
great  quantities  of  oil  are  found  in  holes 
and  ditches  in  the  ground,  where  it  is  now 
waiting  for  enterprise  to  sink  wells,  build 
tanks  for  saving  and  marketing,  when  it 
will  yield  immense  returns.  This  oil 
region  is  about  eight  miles  by  three  in 
area. 

Passing  on  about  nine  miles,  we  come  to 
Kern  River,  which  we  cross  on  a long 
trestle  bridge.  This  river  is  one  of  the 
largest  flowing  from  the  Sierras,  and  even 
in  a dry  season,  carries  a large  amount  of 
water. 

Summer— is  the  next  station  reached, 
12.4  miles  from  Lerdo.  This  is  a very 
busy  place  of  about  250  population,  it 
being  the  distributing  point  for  a large 
amount  of  freight.  To  the  westward,  one 
and  a half  miles,  and  connected  by  “buses” 
hourly,  is 

Bakersfield — This  town  is  the  county 
seat  of  Kern  county,  and  contains  a popu- 
ulation  of  about  800.  It  is  situated  at  the 
junction  of  the  two  branches  of  Kern  River, 
has  a $35,000  court  house,  a bank,  several 
hotels,  a flouring-mill  and  two  weekly 

AND  PACIFIC  COAST  GUIDE, 


239 


BIRDS-EYE  VIEW  OF  THE 

newspapers,  the  C ourier-C alifornian  and 
the  Gazette.  Kern  Lake  is  14  miles  south 
of  west  from  Bakersfield,  and  is  about  seven 
miles  long  by  four  wide.  Six  miles  fur- 
ther is  Buena  Vista  Lake,  some  larger. 
Around  these  lakes,  and  Tulare  Lake,  the 
land  is  exceedingly  rich. 

Kern  Valley,  in  which  Bakersfield  and 
these  lakes  are  situated,  is  one  of  the 
richest  in  the  State,  being  composed  almost 
wholly  of  sedimentary  deposits.  Vege- 
tables grow  to  fabulous  proportions,  the 
soil  being  of  the  same  nature  as  that  in  the 
“Mussel  Slough  Country”  before  named. 

The  irrigating  canals  are  very  extensive 
in  this  country,  some  over  40  miles  in 
length,  with  a varied  width  of  from  100 
to  275  feet,  eight  feet  deep,  costing  $100,000. 
Besides  the  irrigating  canals,  there  are 
many  farms  that  are  irrigated  by  wells  and 
wdnd-mills.  There  is  one  ranche,  nine 
miles  from  Bakersfield,  that  contains  7,000 
acres,  on  which  are  two  flowing  artesian 
wells,  of  seven  inches  bore,  one  260  and  the 
other  800  feet  deep.  Prom  these  wells  the 
water  rises  twelve  feet  above  the  surface, 
and  discharges  over  80,000  gallons  per  day. 

On  this  ranche  there  are  over  150  miles 
of  canals  and  irrigating  ditches,  32  miles 


LOOP,  TEHACHAPI  PASS. 

of  hog-tight  board  fence;  4,000  acres  are 
under  cultivation,  3,000  of  which  are  in 
alfalfa,  from  which  four  and  six  crops  a 
year  are  cut.  Nearer  Bakersfield,  the  same 
party,  Mr,  H.  P.  Livermore,  has  another 
large  ranche,  with  500  acres  in  alfalfa,  and 

3.000  in  wheat  and  barley.  On  these 
ranches  are  8,000  sheep,  4,000  stock  cattle, 
300  cows,  350  horses,  100  oxen,  70  mules 
and  1,500  hogs.  The  same  party  makes  all 
his  own  reapers,  mowers,  harvesters,  plows, 
harrows,  cultivators  and  threshing  ma- 
chines—everything  in  use  on  the  place, 
except  steam  engines.  He  has  one  plow", 
the  “ Great  Western,”  wdiich  is  said  to  be 
the  largest  in  the  world.  It  weighs  some- 
thing over  a ton,  and  is  hauled  by  80  oxen, 
cutting  a furrow  five  feet  wide  and  three 
feet  deep,  and  moving  eight  miles  a day. 
Another  plow  called  “Sampson,”  is  used 
for  ditching,  and  requires  40  mules  to 
work  it. 

Another  party  in  the  county  has  40,000 
sheep,  2,000  acres  in  alfalfa,  and  raises 

60.000  bushels  of  grain.  Another  fel- 
low raised,  in  1877,  84,000  lbs.  of  pumpkins 
and  sweet  potatoes ; some  of  the  former 
weighed  210  pounds,  and  of  the  latter, 
some  1534  While  attending  to  these 
little  vegetables,  he  w"ould  occasionally 


240 


CKOFUTT  S NEW  OVERLAND  TOURIST 


look  alter  a small  band  of  sixteen  thousand 
sheep. 


But  enough  of  this.  We  could  fill  our 
book  with  these  and  many  other  astonish- 
mg  figures  “ Well,”  you  will  say,  - these 
Lalitornia  farmers  should  be  contented  and 
happy  men.”  One  would  think  so,  but 
they  are  not.  They  are  the  most  inveterate 
grumblers  of  any  class  of  people  in  the 
world.  All  Californians  will,  in  the  inter- 
vals betwep  grumbles,  express  the  opinion 
that  there  is  no  place  under  the  blue  canopy 
of  heaven  so  good  for  a white  man  to  live 
in  as  California.  Ah,  well  1 are  they  cor- 
rect? Personally^  were  it  necessary,  our 
affirm  could  be  forthcoming. 

Returning  to  Summer,  twelve  miles 
brings  us  to  a small  place  called  Pampa! 
and  7. Similes  more  to 

Caliente — Since  leaving  Summer,  the 
grade  has  increased ; the  valley  has  been 
gradually  narrowing  by  the  closing  in  of 
the  mountain  ranges  on  each  side,  leaving 
only  a narrow  strip  of  land.  Nearing  this 
station,  it  still  more  contracts,  until  a deep 
canyon  is  reached,  in  the  mouth  of  which 
is  located  Caliente,  surrounded  by  towering 
cliffs.  There  are  several  stores,  one  hotel 
and  a large  station  and  freight  warehouse 
at  this  place.  A large  amount  of  freight  is 
re-shipped  at  this  point,  on  wagons,  for  the 
surrounding  country.  Stages  leave  this 
station  daily  for  Havilah,  25  miles;  Kern- 
ville,  45  miles;  fare  about  14  cents  per 
mile.  These  stages  carry  passengers,  mails 
and  express.  Tourists  should  now  note 
the  elevations;  Caliente  is  1,290  feet  above 
sea  level ; within  the  next  25  miles  the  train 
will  rise  to  the  summit  of  Tehachapi  Pass, 
to  an  altitude  of  3,964  feet,  an  average  of 
over  106  feet  to  the  mile.  Within  this  dis- 
tance we  shall  find  some  of  the  grandest 
scenery  on  the  whole  line ; will  pass  through 
seventeen  tunnels,  with  an  aggregate 
length  of  7,683.9  feet,  and  then  “over  the 
LOOP,”  one  of  the  greatest  engineering  feats 
m the  world ; feat  where  a railroad  is  like  a 
good  Roman  Catholic— made  to  cross  itself. 
But  here,  the  difference  is  in  favor  of  the 
railroad,  as  these  Californians  will  always 
be  a l-e-e-tle  ahead ; it  does  its  crossing  on  a 
run.,  up  grade.,  toward  heaven.  [Any  design 
to  indicate  the  route  of  the  good  Catholic  is 
disclaimed.]  See  illustrations  on  pages 
233  and  239. 

Away  up  the  canyon,  the  grade  of  the 
road  can  be  seen  at  a number  of  places 
where  it  winds  around  the  points  of  pro- 
jecting mountain  spurs,  from  which  points 


we  will  soon  be  able  to  look  down  upon 
Caliente.  ^ 

Leaving  the  station,  our  route  will  be 

• Caliente 

IS  at  the  toot  ot  the  mountains,  at  the  ex- 
treme further  end  of  the  dotted  line,  which 
mdicates  the  course  of  the  road,  and  shows 
its  windings,  the  Loop  and  the  surrounding 
country,  on  a flat  surface.  As  we  ascend 
the  narrow  canyon,  the  road  gradually 
commences  to  climb  the  side  of  the  cliffs 
on  the  right,  leaving  the  bed  of  the  canyon 
far  below,  on  the  left.  Up,  up,  around 
rocky  points  and  the  head  of  small  ravines 
over  high  embankments,  through  deep 
cuts,  and  tunnels  “ One  ” and  “ Two,”  a dis- 
tance of  5.3  miles  from  Caliente,  we  arrive  at 

Beal  ville— This  is  a small  station 
named  in  honor  of  General  Beal,  late 
minister  to  Austria,  who  owned  200,000 
acres  of  land  in  this  county. 

Oaks,  cedar  and  spruce  trees  are  to  be 
seen  in  the  gorges  and  on  the  mountain 
side,  where  a sufficient  soil  is  left  between 
the  rocks  and  an  occasional  shrub  of  the 
manzanita,  along  the  road.  Continuing 
our  climb,  the  ravines  are  deeper  at  every 
turn;  tunnels  No.  three,  four  and  five  are 
passed  through,  each  revealing  in  its  turn, 
new  wonders  and  rapid  changes.  No.  five 
tunnel  is  the  longest  on  this  “Pass,”  after 
passing  which  and  No,  six  tunnel,  the  can- 
yons on  the  left  become  a fearful  gorge. 

J list  after  emerging  from  the  sixth  tun- 
nel, by  looking  away  down  the  canyon, 
Caliente  can  be  seen,  and  at  the  rounding 
of  nearly  every  mountain  spur  for  some 
miles  further.  Continuing  our  climb, 
Winding  around  long  rocky  points  and  the 
head  ot  deep  ravines,  twisting  and  turning 
to  gain  altitude,  the  scenery  is  wondrous  in 
its  rapid  changes.  The  old  Los  Angeles 
and  San  Francisco  wagon  road  can  be 
seen  in  places,  where  it.  too,  winds  around 
the  side  of  the  mountain,  and  in  others, 
along  the  little  ravines  and  larger  canyons. 

The  opposite  mountains  now  loom  up  in 
huge  proportions,  rocky,  peaked  and  rag- 
ged, a full  thousand  feet  above  our  heads, 
and  double  that  amount  above  the  bottom 
of  the  canyon  below.  Again  are  passed 
tunnels  seven  and  eight ; again  we  look  down 
from  dizzy  heights  into  fearful.,  fearful 
chasms.  Up  along  curve  to  the  right,  and 
we  are  at  a point  where  the  mountains, 
from  ten  to  twenty  miles  to  the  south  and 
westward  can  be  seen,  the  peaks  of  many 
covered  with  snow. 

BLecne — is  reached  8.3  miles  from 


AND  PACIFIC  COAST  GUIDE. 


241 


BealviDe.  This  station  is  not  an  impor- 
tant one,  and  trains  do  not  always  stop,  but 
pass  on,  across  two  bridges  in  quick  suc- 
cession, many  deep  gravel-cuts,  and  then, 
after  curving  to  the  right,  we  approach 
the  “ Loop  ” and  tunnel  No.  nine.  Passing 
through  this  tunnel,  we  start  on  the  grand 
curve  around  the  “ Loop,”  and  soon  find  our- 
selves over  the  tunnel  and  in  the  position 
of  the  train  as  illustrated  on  page  233. 

This  “Loop”  is  340  miles  from  San 
Francisco,  is  3,795  feet  in  length,  with 
an  elevation  of  2,956  feet  at  the  lower 
and  3,034  feet  at  the  upper  track,  making 
a difference  between  tracks,  of  78  feet. 

Leaving  the  “Loop,”  our  train  continues 
to  climb  and  curve,  first  to  the  left,  then 
to  the  right,  and  after  passing  through  two 
more  tunnels,  Nos.  10  and  11,  comes  to 

Gerard  — a station  5.4  miles  from 
Keene,  more  in  name  than  fact.  Here 
the  old  Tehachapi  Pass  stage  road  ap- 
pears. The  mountains  are  not  as  high 
above  us,  but  are  rough,  broken,  and 
ragged,  covered  in  many  places  with 
stunt(‘d,  scrubby  pines  and  cedars.  Rolling 
on,  we  pa-s  through,  in  quick  succession, 
tunnels  Nos.  12,  13,  14,  15,  16  and  17,  be- 
sides a number  of  short  bridges,  and  come 
to  more  open  ground;  pass  Gracevibe, 
once  an  old  stage  station — on  the  right, 
and  6.4  miles  from  Gerard  arrive  at 

Tehachapi  it— elevation, 

3,964  feet — the  highest  on  the  road.  This 
station  consists  of  one  store,  a hotel,  tele- 
graph office,  and  half-a-dozen  buildings. 
To  the  southeast  about  five  miles  distant, 
a marble  quarry ^ is  reported,  of  good 
quality.  The  station  is  situated  on  a high 
grassy  plateau,  of  a few  thousand  acres, 
with  high  mountain  ranges  to  the  east  and 
west,  and  although  near  4,000  feet  in  alti- 
tude the  climate  is  so  mild  and  agree- 
able that  some  years  the  crops  are  very 
good  and  grazing  excellent.  Many  sheep 
are  to  be  seen  in  the  valley  and  on  the 
hills  which  are  covered  with  fine  grass. 

Leaving  the  sunimit,  we  run  along  this 
plateau  for  a few  miles,  and  then  commence 
a gradual  descent  towards  the  Mojava 
Desert.  To  the  right  is  a small  lake — dry 
in  summer — where  salt  can  be  shoveled  up 
by  the  wagon  load.  About  eight  miles 
from  the  Summit,  the  liltle  valley  down 
which  we  have  been  roding,  narrows  to  a 
few  hundred  feet  with  high  canyon  walls 
on  each  side. 

Cameron— is  the  first  station  from 
Summit,  9.2  miles  distant,  of  little  account. 


Near  this  station  we  find  the  first  of  the 
species  of  cactus,  as  illustrated  on  page 
243.  In  this  country  they  are  called  the 

Yucca  Palm — These  trees  grow  quite 
large,  sometimes  attaining  a diameter  of 
from  two  to  three  feet,  and  a height  of  from 
40  to  50  feet.  They  are  peculiar  to  the  Mo- 
java Desert,  where  they  grow  in  immense 
numbers,  presenting  the  appearance,  at  a 
distance,  of  an  orchard  of  fruit  trees. 
Everything  is  said  to  have  its  uses,  and 
this  cactus,  or  palm— apparently  the  most 
worthless  of  all  things  that  grow,  is  being 
utilized  in  the  manufacture  of  paper,  and 
with  very  good  results.  One  mill  is  al- 
ready in  operation  at  Ravena,  and  consid- 
erable shipments  have  been  made.  The 
supph^  of  “ raw  material  ” is  certainly 
abundant,  and  if  the  quality  of  the  paper 
is  as  good  as  reported,  the  Mojava  Desert 
may  be  able  to  show  cause  why  it  was 
created. 

^ Leaving  Cameron,  our  train  speeds  along 
lively,  ana  5.2  miles  we  come  to 

]\'adeaii — soon  after  emerging  from 
the  canyon.  It  is  a side-track  surrounded 
by  sage-brush,  sand  hills  and  cactus.  Away 
to  the  left  are  several  lakes,  dry  the  greater 
portion  of  the  year,  but  having  the  appear- 
ance of  water  at  all  times,  owing  to  the 
water  being  very  salt,  and  leaving  a thick 
deposit  on  the  bed  of  the  lake  when  dry. 

From  Nadeau,  it  is  5.6  miles  to  the  end 
of  the  Tulare  division,  at 

Mojava  — (Pronounced  Mo-ha- vey.) 
At  limes,  the  “ Mojava  Zephyr  ” is  any- 
thing but  a gentle  zephyr,  yet,  by  using 
both  hands,  any  person  of  ordinary  strength 
can  keep  their  hat  on.  The  surroundings 
of  this  place  are  not  very  beautiful,  situ- 
ated as  it  is  on  a desert;  but  for  its  size,  it 
is  a busy  place.  It  is  a regular  eating 
station  where  trains  stop  half  an  hour,  and 
good  meals  are  served,  at  the  Mojava 
House,  close  to  the  depot — on  Main  St. 
The  place  consists  of  several  stores,  one 
hotel,  large  station  building  and.  freight 
warehouse,  a 15-stall  round-house,  a repair 
and  machine  shop  and  about  a dozen  pri- 
vate residences. 

The  water  used  at  the  station  comes  in 
pipes  from  Cameron  station,  eleven  miles 
north.  A large  amount  of  freight  is  re- 
shipped from  this  station  on  wagons  to 
Darwin,  100  miles,  and  Independence,  168 
miles,  in  Inyo  county — to  the  northeast — 
on  the  east  side  of  the  Sierra  Nevada 
Mountains.  Returning,  these,  wagons  are 
loaded  with  bullion  from  the  mines.  The 


342 


ckofutt’s  new  overland  tourist 


LOS  ANGELES  DIVISION. 

MOJAVA  TO  LOS  ANGELES. 


E.  E.  Hewitt,  Assistant  Superintendent. 


James  Campbell,  Train  Master., 


TOWARDS  SUNRISE. 


Daily 

Daily 

Distance 

Emigrant 

Express, 

from  San 

and  freight. 

1st  & 2d  Cl’s 

F’ncisco 

4:00  * a m 

9:10*  a m 

..370... 

4:*4 

9:27 

...376... 

4 :50 

9:44 

...384... 

5 :30 

10:10 

...395... 

6 :25 

10:35 

...405... 

7:15 

11:06 

...415-... 

7:35 

11 :20 

...419... 

8:20 

11:51 

...427... 

9 :10 

12 :24  p m 
12:35 

...437... 

9 :30 

....441... 

9:50 

12:50 

...444... 

10:10 

1:05 

...449... 

11 :15 

1:35 

...462... 

11 :55  am 

1 :55  pm 

...470... 

SAN  FRANCISCO  TIME. 


STATIONS, 


Lv nMOJAVA Ar 

Gloster 

Sand  Creek 

Lancaster 

Alpine 

Acton 

tSavena 

Lang 

....Newliall  

Andrews 

S.  F.  Tunnel 

. ..tSan  Fernando 

Sepulveda 

Ar ttLOS  ANGELES Lv 


TOWARDS  SUNDOWN. 


Altitude. 


, 2751 
.2555.. 
.2315.. 
.2350.. 
.2823.. 
.3211.. 
.2350.. 
.1681.. 
.1152.. 
.1338.. 
.1469.. 
.1066.. 
. 461.. 
. 265.. 


Daily 
Express, 
lst&2d  Cl’s 


6:30  * p m 

6:1  3t 

5:54 

5:26 

4:54 

4:14 

4 :00 

3:24 

2:48 

2:35 

2:20 

2:05 

1:35 

1:15  pm 


Daily 
Emigrant 
and  Ireight. 


:15* 

:50t 

:25 

:40 

:00 

:15 

:55 

:15 

30 

10 

50 

20 

15 

:35 


p m 


p m 


t Day  Telegraph.  f Day  and  Night  Telegraph.  * Meals.  Note  Elevations. 


Cerro  Gordo  Freighting  Co.,  who  do  most 
of  this  freight  hauling,  employ  700  head  of 
animals. 

Stages  leave  Mojava  every  alternate  day, 
carrying  passengers,  mails  and  express  to 
Darwin,  100  miles ; Cerro  Gordo,  125  miles ; 
Lone  Pine,  150  miles,  and  Independence, 
168  miles  to  the  northeast;  fare,  14  cents 
per  mile. 

Mojava  is  the  commencement  of  the  Los 
Angeles  Division.  The  proposed  route  of 
the  Southern  Pacific  railroad — as  successor 
of  the  rights  granted  to  the  old  Atlantic 
and  Pacific  Co.,  to  the  Colorado  River,  at 
the  Needles — diverges  at  this  point,  and 
funs  due  east.  The  lowest  point  of  the 
Mojava  Plains  crossed  by  the  railroad  sur- 
vey, is  at  the  sink  of  the  Mojava  River, 
133  miles  east.  Its  elevation  is  960  feet, 
the  highest  point  being  3,935  feet,  at  the 
summit  of  Granite  Pass.  The  crossing  of 
the  Colorado,  at  the  Needles,  is  254  miles 
east  from  Mojava. 

Leaving  Mojava,  our  course  is  south, 
over  the  desert,  from  which  rise  great 
numbers  of  round  buttes ; they  are  of  all 
sizes,  from  a half-acre  at  the  base,  to 
several  acres;  from  one  hundred  to  five 
hundred  feet  in  height.  Most  of  these 
buttes  run  to  a peak,  and  are  grooved  or 
worn  out  by  the  elements  into  small 


ravines,  from  summit  to  base,  presenting  a 
peculiar  appearance.  The  cactus,  or  palms, 
are  very  numerous. 

Passing  Gloster,  6.6  miles  from  Mo- 
java, where  there  is  not  even  a side-track, 
and  7.2  miles  further,  we  arrive  at 

Nand  Creek — where  trains  seldom 
stop.  To  the  left,  ten  miles,  is  Mirage 
Lake,  which  looks  like  water,  but  is 
mostly  sand  and  alkali.  (For  a descrip- 
tion of  this  remarkable  phenomena,  see 
page  169.) 

Solidad  Mountain  can  now  be  seen  on 
our  right,  through  which  our  road  finds  a 
way,  but  where  and  how.,  does  not  appear. 
Large  nurnbers  of  sheep  range  over  these 
plains  at  times,  and  appear  to  thrive. 

From  Sand  Creek,  it  is  eleven  miles  to 
Lancaster,  a side-track,  and  10.9  miles 
further  we  come  to 

Alpine — For  the  last  twenty  miles 
the  palms  have  been  very  numerous,  but 
we  shall  soon  leave  them  and  the  desert. 
Scrub  cedar,  sand  cuts — some  very  deep — I 
are  now  in  order,  while  rapidly  climbing  j 
up  to  the  summit  of  the 'Solidad  Pass, 
which  we  reach  four  miles  from  Alpine, 
crossing  them  at  an  ele^Tition  of  3,211 
feet,  and  then  descend  to 

Acton — a distance  of  9.7  miles  from  | 
Alpine.  This  is  an  unimportant  station  j 


AND  PACIFIC 

COAST  GUIDE.  243 

near  the  head  of  the  infamous  Solidad 
Canyon,  known  as  the  “Robbers’  Roost.” 
This  canyon  is  a deep  gorge,  with 
rugged,  towering  mountain  cliffs  rising 
on  each  side,  in  places  from  500  to  2,000 
feet  above  the  bed  of  the  canyon,  the 
fronts  of  which  look  as  though  they  had 
been  slashed  by  the  hand  of  the  great 
Architect,  from  summit  to  base,  into  nar- 
row, deep  ravines,  and  then  left,  present- 
ing as  wild,  gloomy  and  dismal  gorges  as 
the  most  vivid  imagination  can  conceive. 
These,  with  the  dense  growth  of  pines, 
cedar  and  shrubs,  make  the  mountains 
almost  impenetrable,  and  all  that  the  most 
wary  villain  could  desire. 

The  canyon  is  about  25  miles  in  length, 
inhabited  mostly  by  Mexicans.  It  was  the 
headquarters  and  home  of  the  noted 
Vasques,  and  his  robber  band,  who  was 
hung  at  San  Jose,  March  19,  1875.  Later, 
a band  of  a dozen  or  more  raided  Caliente, 
binding  and  gaging  all  who  came  in  their 
way,  and  after  loading  their  riding  ani- 
mals with  all  they  could  carry,  returned  to 
this  their  rendezvous.  By  a shrewd  plan, 
five  of  the  number  were  captured,  and 
lodged  in  jail  at  Bakersfield,  from  which 
they  were  taken  by  the  citizens  and  hung 
without  much  expense  to  the  county.  But 
with  all  their  devilment,  the  trains  and 
railroad  property  have  always  been  secure. 
At  the  next  station,  the  brother  of  this 
noted  chief  resides,  against  whom,  as  we 
understand,  there  stand  no  accusations. 

Passing  on  down,  the  canyon  widens,  and 
cottonwood,  sycamore  and  a few  oaks  and 
willows  line  the  little  creek,  which  ripples 
over  the  sands.  Mining,  to  some  extent, 
is  carried  on  by  the  Mexicans  living  here, 
but  in  a primitive  way,  using  arastras,  with 
water,  horse,  hand,  and,  in  three  cases, 
steam  power. 

Ravena — is  the  next  station,  3.7  miles 
from  Acton.  Here  are  located  a village  of 
several  dozen  log,  sod  and  stone  houses,  be- 
longing to  the  Mexicans,  and  the  paper 
mill,  before  alluded  to,  as  utilizing  the 
yucca  palm  for  making  paper. 

We  were  told  at  this  place  that  “moss 
agates  and  grizzly  bears  abound,”  but  just 
whyi\iQ  two  should  be  coupled  together, 
we  are  not  informed. 

About  one  mile  below  Ravena,  on  the 
left,  away  up  on  the  side  of  the  mountain, 
600  feet  above  our  train,  is  a huge  rock, 
called  George  Washington,  from  the  fact 
that  it  bears  a striking  likeness  to  the 
“father  of  his  country,”  who,  it  seems 

has  left  his  impress  all  over  his  country. 
Continuing  down,  the  canyon  narrows; 
the  bluffy  walls  on  each  side  assume 
more  formidable  features,  and  in  fact  is 
the  most  formidable  portion  of  the  can- 
yon, the  rugged  spurs  shooting  out  as 
though  they  would  bar  our  farther  progress. 

Two  of  these  spurs  did  bar  the  progress 
of  our  way,  until  tunnels  were  completed 
through  them,  which  aggregate  596  feet  in 
length. 

Timber  can  be  seen  on  the  tops  of  the 
mountains,  and  in  the  largest  of  the  deep 
ravines,  but  inaccessible,  from  the  un- 
usual ruggedness  of  its  surroundings. 
Lime-rock  abounds  and  game,  both  large 
and  small,  is  very  numerous,  including 
the  grizzly  bear.  When  we  passed  this 
way  in  January,  1878,  Mr.  Lang,  of  Lang’s 
Station,  close  ahead,  had  killed  one  of 
these  bears  that  weighed  900  pounds,  and 
Lang  called  it  a small  one. 

JLang — is  a small  station,  8.5  miles  be- 
low Ravena,  and  about  half-a-mile  west  of 
where  the  “ last  spike  ” was  driven.  Sept. 
5th,  1876,  that  united  the  line,  building  from 
Los  Angeles  and  San  Francisco.  The 
bottom,  below  the  station,  widens,  sand 
hills  and  sand  beds  appear,  as  well  as 
sheep,  on  the  adjoining  hills,  which  are 
now  lower,  with  grassy  sides;  and  10.1 
miles  from  Lang,  and  our  train  stops  at 

Newliall — a station  where  are  large 
pens  and  shutes  for  loading  cattle  and  sheep. 
This  station  is  in  the  midst  of  a small  val- 
ley, named  for  a Mr.  Newhall,  who  owns 
several  hundred  thousand  acres  of  land  in 
the  vicinity,  on  which  range  immense  num- 
bers of  cattle  and  sheep. 

Stages  leave  this  station  daily  for  Ven- 
tura, 50  miles;  Santa  Barbara,  80  miles; 
San  Louis  Obispo,  190  miles ; Paso-Robles 
Hot  Springs,  220,  and  Solidad,  800  miles, 
at  the  end  of  the  Southern  Pacific  railroad, 
in  Salinas  Valley,  as  noted  in  excursion 
No.  5.  These  stages  carry  passengers, 
mails  and  express. 

We  now  confront  the  San  Fernando 
Mountains  on  the  south,  which  rise  up  be- 
fore us,  towering  to  the  skies,  in  one  great 
black  solid  mass,  apparently  presenting  an 
im.  penetrable  barrier  to  our  further  progress. 
Such  was  the  case  until  the  engineers  of 
this  road,  failing  to  find  any  way  overihQm^ 
resolved  to  pierce  through  them^  which  was 
done,  resulting  in  a tunnel  6,967  feet  long, 
built  in  a straight  line  and  timbered  all  the 
way.  These  mountains,  as  stated,  are 
high,  rising  up  out  of  the  valley  from 

244 


CROFUTT  S NEW  OVERLAND  TOURIST 


2,500  to  3,000  feet,  but  narrow — a huge 
“ liog-back  ” ridge.  Leaving  Newhall,  it  is 
3.6  miles  to 

Andrews — To  the  west  of  this  station, 
about  four  miles,  are  located  several  oil 
wells,  in  a region  said  to  be  very  rich  in 
oil.  Two  relineries  have  been  established 
at  this  station,  which  furnish  for  shipment 
about  one  car-load  per  day.  Live  oaks  and 
some  white  oaks  are  numerous  along  the 
road  and  on  the  sides  of  the  low-hills, 
for  the  last  fifteen  miles,  making  the 
country  look  more  cheerful  than  it  other- 
wise would. 

Leaving  Andrews,  we  soon  commence  to 
ascend,  passing  through  deep  cuts  to  the 

San  Fernando  Tunnel — This  tunnel, 
as  before  stated,  is  6,967  feet  in  length, 
timbered  all  the  way,  and  is  reached  from 
the  north  up  a grade  of  116  feet  per  mile ; 
grade  in  tunnel,  37  feet  per  mile ; grade  be- 
yond tunnel — south  — for  five  miles,  106  feet 
per  mile ; elevation  of  tunnel,  1,469  leet. 
The  view,  from  the  rear  end  of  the  car, 
while  passing  through  the  tunnel,  is  quite 
an  interesting  one. 

The  light,  on  entering  the  great  bore,  is 
large  and  bright,  the  smooth  rails  glisten 
like  burnished  silver  in  the  sun’s  rays. 
Gradually  the  light  lessens  in  brilliancy; 
the  rails  become  two  long  ribbons  of  silver, 
sparkling  through  the  impenetrable  dark- 
ness; gradually  these  lessen,  the  light 
fades — and  fades,  and  fades — the  entrance 
is  apparently  not  larger  than  a pin’s  head, 
and  then  all  light  is  gone  and  darkness 
reigns  supreme — and  still  we  are  not 
through.  It  is  the  history  of  many  a life : 
the  bright  hopes  of  youth  expire  with  age. 

As  we  emerge  from  the  tunnel,  the  valley 
of  San  Fernando  dawns  a bright  vision  of 
beauty  upon  us.  Here  we  enter,  as  it  were, 
a new  world  of  verdure  and  fruitfulness — a 
land  literally  “ flowing  with  milk  and 
honey.”  From  the  tunnel  we  have  de- 
scended rapidly,  5.2  miles  to 

i^an.  Fernando — named  for  the 
famous  old  mission  of  San  Fernando,  lo- 
cated about  two  miles  to  the  right,  embow- 
ered in  lovely  groves  of  orange,  lemon  and 
olive  trees.  It  is  in  the  middle  of  the  valley 
of  the  same  name,  surrounded  by  moun- 
tain ranges.  The  San  Fernando  Moun- 
tains are  on  the  east  and  north,  the  Coast 
Range  on  the  West,  and  the  Sierra  Santa 
Monica  on  the  west  and  south.  The 
greater  portion  of  the  western  and  central 
part  of  the  valley  is  under  a high  state  of 
cultivation,  but  the  eastern,  along  where 


our  road  is  built,  is  covered  with  sage- 
brush, cactus,  grease-wood,  small  cedars 
and  mesquite  shrubs. 

The  station  is  of  little  account — only  a 
few  buildings,  a store,  hotel,  cattle  pen  and 
shutes  make  up  the  place.  Leaving  the 
station,  we  pass  groves  of  planted  trees; 
those  on  the  right,  of  the  eucalypti  species. 

Sepulveda— is  the  next  station,  12.5 
miles  south  of  San  Fernando.  It  is  situated 
on  the  east  bank  of  Los  Angeles  River, 
where  passenger  trains  meet  and  pass! 
Continuing  along  down  the  valley— which 
now  begins  to  present  an  improved  appear- 
ance—8.6  miles  we  come  to  East  Los 
Angeles. 

JLos  Angeles  •Function — is  sit- 
uated about  one  mile  east  of  the  city,  from 
which  street-cars  run  regularly;  fare,  10 
cents  or  four  tickets  for  25  certs.  The 
principal  hotels,  the  Pico  and  St.  Charles, 
charge  from  $2  to  $3  per  day;  the  United 
States  and  Lafayette  from  $1.50  to  $2.00,  all 
of  which  send  buses  to  the  depot,  on  ar- 
rival of  trains. 

fiOS  Angeles! — Ah,  here  we  are  at 
the  “ City  of  the  Angels!”  Los  Angeles  is 
the  county  seat  of  Los  Angeles  county, 
situated  on  the  Los  Angeles  River,  24 
miles  north  from  the  port  of  San  Pe  lro; 
but  the  principal  shipping  point  is  at 
Wilmington,  about  two  miles  above  San 
Pedro,  at  the  head  of  the  bay,  with  which 
it  is  connectecf  by  railroad  22  miles  dis- 
tant. It  is  also  connected  with  Santa 
Monica  by  rail,  18  miles  to  the  westward, 
where  steamers  land  from  up  and  down 
the  coast.  The  city  contains  a population 
of  about  16,000— has  many  fine  business 
blocks,  three  banks,  several  large,  fine 
hotels,  chief  of  which  is  the  Pico.  The 
churches  and  schools  are  all  that  could 
be  desired,  both  in  numbers  and  quality. 
There  are  four  daily,  seven  weekly,  and 
a number  of  miscellaneous  publications. 
The  dailies  are:  the  Star, Express  Herald, 
and  the  Republican, 

Water  for  irrigation  in  the  city  is  sup- 
plied by  Los  Angeles  River,  and  by  wind- 
mills. The  manufactories  are  not  very 
numerous,  the  shops  of  the  Railroad  Com- 
pany being  the  principal  ones.  The  town 
is  a railroad  center,  commanding  an  ex- 
tensive trade  at  present,  and  in  the  future 
it  fears  no  rival.  It  is  already  connected 
with  Santa  Monica,  on  the  west,  18  miles; 
Wilmington,  on  the  south,  22  miles;  Santa 
Ana,  on  the  southeast,  33  miles;  Yuma,  on 
the  east,  248  miles,  and  San  Francisco, 


AISTD  PACIFIC  COAST  GUIDE 


north,  470  miles.  Los 
Angeles  is  an  old  town, 
having  been  settled  in 
177 1 . It  is  located  at  the 
southern  base  of  the 
Sierra  Santa  Monica 
range  on  a gradual 
slope,  and  is  completely 
embowered  in  foliage. 

The  vineyards,  in  and 
around  the  city,  are  very 
numerous ; they  are  to  be 
seen  on  all  sides,  equaled 
only  by  the  number  of 
orange,  lemon,  and  fruit 
orchards.  It  is  really  a 
city  of  gardens  and 
groves.  Then,  as  one 
rides  to  the  westward, 
or  the  southward,  mag- 
nificent plantations 
stretch  away  as  far  as  the 
eye  can  reach.  Here  is 
the  wealth  of  the  tropics ; 
here  can  be  seen  the 
orange,  lemon,  lime, 
pomegranate,  fig,  and 
all  kinds  of  tropical  and 
semi-tropical  fruits,  at- 
taining to  the  greatest 
perfection ; here  will  be 
seen  the  huge  aim-tree, 
the  banana,  the  beautiful 
Italian  and  Monterey 
cypress,  the  live  oak, 
pepper,  and  the  eucalyp- 
tus, as  well  as  the  orange 
trees  in  the  grounds  and 


YUCCA  PALM  OF  MOJAVA  DESERT.  See  page  24 1. 


and  lemon 
^ - parks,  gar- 

dens and  lawns,  of  almost  every  citizen’s 
residence.  One  orchard — situated  in 
the  heart  of  the  city,  the  “ Wolfkill  ” — con- 
tains 100  acres.  1 n this  orchard  are  2,600 
orange  trees,  1,000  lime,  and  1,800  lemon 
trees  besides,  there  are  adjoining  100 
acres  in  vineyard.  But  why  particularize  ? 
Look  where  you  will,  and  you  will  see 
vineyards  and  orchards  laden  with  luscious 
fruits,  and  will  be  ready  to  exclaim; 
“Why,  oh,  why  was  ‘mother  Eve’ 
driven  out?” 

Leaving  Los  Angeles,  we  will  take  the 
cars  on  the 

Los  Angeles  and  Independence  Rail- 
road— under  the  management  of  the 
“Central’’  Company,  of  which  W.  J.  L. 
Moulton  is  Assistant  Superintendent,  and 
speed  away  to  the  westward.  The  first 
few  miles  is  through  the  edge  of  the  city, 
and  then  past  a succession  of  vineyards. 


orange  and  fruit  orchards,  nurseries  and 
groves  of  planted  trees.  Then  come 
broad  fields  and  pretty  little  farm-houses ; 
then  through  a succession  of  deep  sand 
cuts,  and  the  broad  ocean  appears,  and  then 
Nanta  Monica — called  by  some 
the  “ Long  Branch  of  the  Pacific  Coast.” 
It  is  certainly  a beautiful  location,  and  if 
it  does  not  attain  the  same  popularity  as 
its  namesake,  on  the  Jersey  shore,  it  will 
not  be  for  lack  of  natural  advantages.  Its 
location  is  one  of  surpassing  loveliness — 
in  front  the  Pacific  Ocean;  in  the  back- 
ground the  noble  range  of  the  Sierra 
Madre.  Par  out  to  the  seaward  looms  up 
mistily  the  island  of  Catalina.  The  facili- 
ties for  bathing  could  hardly  be  better. 
The  beach  is  fine,  the  sand  hard  and 
smooth,  and  the  slope  gradual,  with  no 
terrors  of  undertow  to  appal  timid  swim- 
mers. The  place  is  protected  from  cold 
winds  by  a prominent  head-land,  and  the 
climate  is  very  equable. 


crofutt’s  new  overland  tourist 


The  following  table  shows  the  mean  tem- 
perature of  January  and  July  in  Califor- 
nia and  other  States  and  countries,  taken 
from  reliable  sources: 


Place. 

Jan'y 

jjuly. 

Differ- 

ence. 

Latitude 

San  Francisco. . 

Deg’e 

49 

Deg  e 

Degre 

8 

Deg.  min. 
37  48 

Monterey 

52 

5 

6 

36 

36 

Santa  Barbara  . . 

54 

7 

17 

34 

24 

Los  Angeles  . . . 
Santa  Monica. . . 

5C 

7 . 

23 

34 

04 

52 

69 

17 

34 

02 

San  Diego  

51 

72 

21 

32 

41 

Sacramento 

45 

73 

28 

38 

34 

Humboldt  Bay.. 

40 

58 

18 

40 

44 

Sonoma 

45 

66 

21 

38 

IS 

Vallejo 

Fort  Yuma 

48 

67 

19 

38 

05 

56 

92 

36* 

32 

43 

Cincinnati 

30 

74 

44 

39 

06 

New  York 

31 

77 

42 

40 

37 

New  Orleans 

55 

82 

27 

29 

57 

Naples 

46 

76 

30 

40 

52 

Honolulu 

71 

78 

7 

21 

16 

Mexico 

52 

65 

13 

19 

26 

London  

37 

62 

25 

51 

29 

Bordeaux  

41 

73 

32 

44 

50 

Mentone 

40 

73 

33 

43 

41 

Marseilles 

43 

75 

32 

43 

17 

Genoa 

46 

77 

31 

44 

24 

It  will  be  seen  by  referring  to  the  above 
table  that  Southern  California  possesses  a 
climate  unexcelled  in  equability  by  any 
portion  of  the  world,  and  of  the  happiest 
medium  between  the  extremes  of  heat  and 
cold.  Santa  Monica  has  these  advantages 
of  temperature  in  a special  degree,  the  air 
being  modified  by  the  ocean  to  a point 
most  agreeable  and  invigorating,  both  to 
the  pleasure-seeker  and  the  invalid. 

The  bathing  house,  situated  on  the  beach, 
about  fifty  feet  above  the  water,  is  the 
finest  on  the  coast.  It  is  a large  building 
supplied  with  baths  of  all  kinds,  where  the 
bathers  have  within  reach,  faucets  by  which 
a supply  of  either  fresh  or  salt  water,  hot 
or  cold,  can  be  instantly  obtained  by  the 
effort  of  turning  them  on.  Here,  too,  are 
steam,  swimming,  and  plunge  baths,  be- 
sides the  ordinary  ocean  baths,  accommo- 
dations for  which  ample  provision  is  made. 

Santa  Monica  was  first  laid  out  as  a town 
in  1875,  and  in  two  years  attained  a popu- 
lation of  800.  It  has  some  good  stores,  and 
quite  a number  of  good  hotels,  chief  of 
which  are  the  Santa  Monica  Hotel,  and 
Ocean  House ; the  latter  has  accommoda- 
tions for  about  50  guests,  and  the  former 
for  125.  These  houses  are  so  situated  as  to 
command  a most  extensive  view.  Their 
charges  are  from  $12  to  $18  per  week. 
Santa  Monica  has  its  newspaper — the  Out- 
look; an  enterprising  weekly,  edited  and 


published  by  L.  F.  Fisher,  Esq.,  who  is  thor- 
oughly alive  to  the  advantages  of  the  town. 

Point  Dumas,  a prominent  head-land  to 
the  northwest,  is  13  miles  distant.  Point 
Vincent,  to  the  southwest,  is  20  miles 
distant. ^ Santa  Rosa  Island,  west,  is  91 
miles  distant;  Santa  Barbara  Island,  south 
of  west,  is  25  miles  distant;  San  Nicholas 
Island,  37  miles  in  the  same  direction,  and 
Santa  Catalina  Island,  south,  is  about  40 
miles  distant.  These  islands  are  a great 
protection  to  Santa  Monica  from  the  wrath 
of  old  Pacific,  when  he  becomes  excited. 

The  wharf  at  the  end  of  the  railroad  is 
built  out  into  the  bay,  to  deep  water,  where 
steamers  stop  regularly  on  their  trips  up  and 
down  the  coast. 

In  the  range  of  the  mountains  on  the 
north,  game  of  many  varieties  can  be 
found,  and  in  the  lagoons  south  of  the 
town,  ducks,  geese,  snipe,  curlews,  and 
other  varieties  of  game  are  abundant. 

The  drives  are  very  fine,  being  along  the 
beach  for  many  miles,  and  then,  on  the 
high  plateau  500  feet  above,  extending  for 
many  miles,  affording  a most  extended 
view ; or,  up  to  the  natural  springs  on  the 
side  of  the  mountain,  which  furnish  the 
town  with  water,  bubbling  up  like  a 
fountain,  and  is  caught  in  a large  basin  or 
pond,  for  city  use. 

A popular  excursion  is  up  Santa  Mo- 
nica Canyon  to  Manville  Glen— a wild, 
rugged  mountain-place  covered,  with  old 
forest  trees,  down  which  ripples  one  of  the 
neatest  little  brooks  imaginable.  The 
point  of  the  mountain  above  has  become  a 
very  popular  camping  gjound,  where 
camps  are  made,  and  i)arties  spend  months 
in  rambling  over  the  mountains  and  en- 
joying the  ocean  baths,  etc. 

There  are  some  beautiful  country  resi- 
dences about  Santa  Monica,  among  which 
is  one  of  Senator  Jones,  of  Nevada. 

Returning  to  Los  Angeles,  we  take  the 

Wilmington  Division— and  start  di- 
rectly south  through  a succession  of  vine- 
yards, gardens,  orange  and  fruit  orchards, 
to  Florence,  six  miles  from  Los  Angeles. 
At  this  station  the  track  of  the  San  Diego 
Division  branches  oft'  to  the  left.  But  we 
continue  south,  through  broad,  well-culti- 
vated fields,  where  the  good  eft'ects  of  irri- 
gation are  shown,  by  large  crops  of  vege- 
tables, wdiich  abound  in  the  section  we  are 
now  traversing.  Gradually  the  rich  soil 
gives  place  to  alkaline  and  salt  fiats,  and 
sloughs,  with  occasionally  a few  bands  of 
sheep  on  the  more  elevated  lands. 


iiiir-iiiiir.-  — - 


AND  PACIFIC  COAST  GUIDE, 


247 


i 


About  two  miles  before  reaching  Wil- 
mington, we  pass,  on  the  right,  embowered 
in  trees,  the  old  headquarters  of  the  Mili- 
tary Department,  of  Southern  California 
and  Arizona,  abandoned  in  1870.  When 
the  Government  had  no  further  use  for  the 
property  it  was  sold,  and  is  now  used  by  the 
Protestants,  and  called  Wilson’s  College. 

Wilmington  contains  a population  of 
about  500,  most  of  whom  are  engaged  in 
the  shipping  interests.  At  the  long  wharf 
are  great  warehouses,  beside  which,  vessels 
drawing  twelve  feet  of  water,  can  lay  and 
load  and  unload  from  and  into  the  cars 
of  the  railroad,  which  run  the  whole 
length  of  the  wharf.  Vessels  drawing 
15  feet  of  water  can  cross  the  bar,  two 
miles  below,  but  are  unable  to  reach  the 
wharf,  and  are  unloaded  two  miles  below 

Inside  the  bar  is  a ship  channel,  per- 


F fectly  sheltered,  several  miles  in  length, 
! with  a width  of  from  400  to  500  feet,  and  a 


depth,  at  low  tide,  of  from  20  to  25  feet, 
shoaling  at  its  head  to  12  feet. 

The  Government  has  expended  over  half  a 
million  of  dollars  to  improve  the  harbor  at 
this  place;  the  breakwater  is  6,700  feet 
long,  and  when  completed,  it  will  be  of 
incalculable  advantage  to  the  people  of 
this  section  of  country. 

Wilmington  is  a point  where  immense 


quantities  of  ties  and  redwood  lumber  are 
landed  from  the  Humboldt  Bay  country, 
200  miles  north  of  San  Francisco,  on  the 
coast,  and  also  where  are  landed  large 
quantities  of  coal  from  the  Liverpool  ves- 
sels that  come  here  to  load  with  grain.  The 
coal  is  brought  for  ballast,  more  than  for 
profit. 

Rattlesnake  Island  is  in  front  of  the  har- 
bor— sand  principally  San  Pedro  Point 
is  two  miles  south,  and  Point  Fermin, 
around  that  point  to  the  west,  reached  by 
wagon-road  around  the  beach  or  over  the 
blutfs,  six  miles  distant,  Deadman’s 
Island  is  a small,isolated  rocky  peak,  where 
commences  the  breakwater  improvement 
below  Point  Pedro. 

Fermin  Point  is  on  the  most  prominent 
headland  on  the  west,  surmounted  with  a 
light  of  the  first  order,  [which  is  kept  by 
two  ladies.]  Near  this  point,  in  stone,  is 
the  subject  of  our  illustration,  below, 
called  San  Pedro’s  Wife  or  the  “ Woman 
OF  THE  Period.” 

The  distance  from  Wilmington  by 
steamer  to  San  Francisco  is  387  miles ; to 
San  Diego,  95  miles ; to  Santa  Catalina 
Island,  20  miles.  This  Island  is  owned  by 
the  Lick  estate,  is  35  miles  long  and  ten 
wide,  on  which  are  some  gold  mines,  and 
great  numbers  of  sheep  and  goats. 


SAN  PEDRO’s  WIFE  OR,  THE  WOMAN  OF  THE  PERIOD. 


248 


ckofutt’s  kj{:w  oyekland  tourist 


The  Island  San  Clemente  is  30  miles 
furUier,  a lon^,  narrow  strip  of  land,  on 
which  there  is  no  water,  where  range 
thousands  of  sheep  and  goats,  which  seem 
to  thrive  better  than  on  Santa  Catalina 
Island,  where  water  is  abundant. 

lleturning  again  to  Los  Angeles,  we 
start  over  the 

^an  I>iego  l>ivi^ion. 

Leaving  Los  Angeles,  the  course  is  the 
same  as  over  the  Wilmington  route  to 
Florence,  six  miles  south,  where  our  route 
turns  to  the  left. 

Leaving  Florence,  we  cross  the  Los 
Angeles  River,  along  which  are  some  broad, 
rich  bottom  lands,  passing  large  groves  of 
eucalyptus  trees,  and  5.5  furtiier  come  to 
Downey — This  is  a thrifty  town  of 
agriculturalists,  about  500  in  number,  with 
some  good  buildings.  The  Central  Hotel 
IS  the  principal  hotel.  The  country  is  flat, 
and  vineyards  and  orange  orchards  are  to 
be  seen  at  different  places,  over  which 
the  waters  of  San  Gabriel  River  are  con- 
ducted in  numerous  canals  and  ditches 
Leaving  the  station,  we  soon  cross  San 
Gabriel  River,  note  the  existence  of  many 
sycamore  trees,  some  oaks  and  many 
“ Gum-trees,”  and  four  miles  are  at 
Rorwalk — This  is  a new  station,  in  the 
center  of  a broad  fertile  valley,  with  only 
the  smaller  portion  under  cultivation  Con- 
tinuing on,  over  a grassy  plain,  where  are 
a few  trees,  and  a few  alkali  beds,  we  pass 
Costa,  6.3  miles  from  i^orwalk,  and  roll 
along  through  an  improving  country  The 
La  Puente  Hills  are  on  our  left,  beyond 
which  rise  the  San  Gabriel  Mountains 
From  Costa  it  is  3.6  miles  to 
Anaheim— Here  we  are  at  a live  town  of 
1,500  population,  which,  from  the  car  win- 
dows, presents  a beautiful  appearance,  with 
its  long  rows  of  trees  and  beautiful  fields. 
A run  through  the  town  will  reveal  the 
fact  that  it  contains  many  fine  buildings, 
some  of  which  are  devoted  to  merchandis- 
ing, besides  good  churches,  fine  schools,  two 
good  hotels — the  Planters  and  the  Anaheim, 
and  one  newspaper— the  The  town 

IS  embowered  in  foliage ; tall  poplar  trees, 
cypress, eucalyptus,  orange,  pepper,  castor 
bean,  palm  and  many  other  trees  are 
among  the  number  seen  everywhere. 

Here  we  find  extensive  irrigating  canals 
and  a complete  net-work  of  ditches,  con- 
ducting the  water  through  the  streets  and 
over  the  grounds  in  all  directions,  A great  i 
number  of  the  private  residences  are  i 


; painted  white,  (not  a very  common  thing 
in  California,)  and  look  very  cheerful. 
Leaving  Anaheim,  we  cross  a sandy  bot- 
tom, and  then  Santa  Anna  River,  over  a 
long  bridge,  pass  Orange,  a small  hamlet 
on  the  left — where  is  a grove  of  planted 
trees — and  4.9  miles  from  Anahiem,  and  two 
miles  further  come  to 

Santa  Ana — This  town  is  33.3  miles 
southeast  of  Los  Angeles,  and  about  half  a 
mile  west  of  the  depot,  where  is  now  tbe 
end  of  the  road,  and  where  a town  is  being 
laid  off,  called  East  Santa  Ana.  Santa 
Ana  is  situated  about  one  and  half  miles 
south  of  Santa  Anna  River,  and  like  Ana- 
heim, is  embowered  in  trees  and  sur- 
rounded by  vineyards,  orchards  and  the 
best  of  land,  under  a high  state  of  cultiva- 
tion. There  are  some  large  stores  in  the 
town  and  good  brick  buildings,  several  fine 
churches,  good  schools,  three  hotels— chief 
of  which  is  the  Santa  Ana  Hotel — one 
daily  and  two  weekly  newspapers;  the 
News  and  the  Times  are  weekly,  and  the 
Free  Lance  is  a small,  U'ce  daily. 

Newport  Landing  is  eight  miles  west  of, 
Santa  Ana,  where  most  of  the  steamers' 
call,  on  their  way  up  and  down  the  coast 
A good  wagon  road  leads  from  Santa  An 
to  the  Landing,  and  also  extends  eastwarc 
to  San  Bernardino,  40  miles  distant.  Th( 
road  was  built  by  the  counties  of  Los  i 
Angeles  and  San  Bernardino. 

The  new  Black  Star  coal  mines  are  sit 
uated  about  twelve  miles  northeast,  andau 
said  to  be  extensive  and  the  coal  of  gooi 
quality.  To  the  east  is  the  high  range  o 
the  Sierra  De  Santa  Anna  Mountains,  oi 
the  eastern  slope  of  which  are  located  th 
Temeseal  Tin  mines. 

Some  of  the  lands  surrounding  Sant 
Ana  and  to  the  south  and  west  for  mam 
miles,  called  “ safe  lands,”  will  raise  a gooa  ; 
crop^  without  irrigating,  but  the  greate  | 
portion  requires  the  water — to  su  pply  wh  id  j 
a company  is  now  engaged  building  a canal  i 
to  take  the  waters  of  the  Santa  Anna  Ri  vei 
away  to  the  eastward.  The  canal  will  be 
18  miles  long,  and  will  furnish  ample 
water  for  20,000  acres  of  land. 

Stages  leave  Santa  Ana  daily  for  San  Juan 
Capistrano,  southeast  24  miles;  fare  $2.50; 
San  Louis  Rey,  65  miles ; fare,  $5.00 ; also 
to  San  Diego,  100  miles,  and  all  inter- 
mediate points. 

San  Diego — As  this  is  reached  from 
Santa  Ana,  the  nearest  point  by  rail  and 
stage,  it  seems  to  be  the  proper  place  for  a 
short  description  of  the  town.  San  Diego 


MOUNT  SHASTA,  SACRAMEN] 


AND  PACIFIC  COAST  GUIDE. 


249 


was  first  settled  by  the  Jesuit  missionaries, 
in  1769,  and  is  the  oldest  town  in  the  State. 
It  is  a port  of  entry,  and  the  county  seat  of 
San  Diego  county.  It  is  situated  on  San 
Diego  Bay,  which,  for  its  size,  is  the  most 
sheltered,  most  secure  and  finest  harbor  in 
the  world.  The  bay  is  12  miles  long  and 
two  miles  wide,  with  never  less  than  30  feet 
of  water  at  low  tide,  and  a good,  sandy  bot- 
I tom.  By  act  of  Congress,  it  is  the  western 
j terminus  of  the  Texas  & Pacific  railroad,  but 
I when  that  road  will  be  built,  if  ever,  is  a 
problem,  the  solution  of  which,  all  the 
citizens  of  San  Diego,  about  5,000  in  num- 
ber, are  exceedingly  anxious  to  have 
demonstrated,  and  there  is  little  question  but 
what  they  would  all  elect  to  have  it  built 
without  delay.  The  city  is  connected  by 
steamer  with  San  Francisco,  456  miles 
north,  and  by  stage  to  all  inland  towns.  It 
is  14  miles  north  of  the  dividing  line  be- 
tween Upper  and  Lower  California,  and  is 
destined  to  make  a city  of  great  importance. 
Tropical  fruit  of  every  variety  is  produced 
in  the  county,  and  the  climate  is  one  of  the 
finest  in  the  world,  the  thermometer  never 
falling  below  40  deg.  in  the  winter,  or 
rising  above  80  deg.  in  the  summer.  The 
country  is  well  timbered  and  well  watered, 
producing  large  crops  of  all  kinds  of  grain, 
fruit  and  vegetables.  Gold,  silver  and  tin 
ores  have  recently  been  discovered,  which 
promise  at  this  time  to  be  very  extensive 
and  profitable.  Several  quartz  mills  have 
been  erected.  Two  weekly  papers  are  pub- 
lished at  San  Diego — the  World  and  Union. 

San  Juan  Capistrano,  is  a quiet,  sleepy, 
conservative  old  town,  twenty-four  miles 
from  Santa  Ana,  situated  in  the  center  of  a 
beautiful  little  valley,  hemmed  in  on  three 
sides,  in  a variegated  frame-work  of 
emerald  hills,  with  the  broad  Pacific 
Ocean  on  the  west,  gleaming  like  a mirror 
at  mid-day,  and  glowing  like  a floor  of 
burnished  gold  at  sunset:  Here  is  located 
the  old  mission,  which  gave  its  name  to 
the  town.  It  was  founded  in  1776,  and  is 
situated  on  an  eminence,  commanding  a 
view  of  the  surrounding  country,  with  ex- 
tensive orchards  of  orange,  lemon,  olive 
and  other  trees,  planted  nearly  100  years 
I ago,  which  continue  to  bear  abundantly. 

, ; To  the  south  of  the  town  is  the  Rancho  Boca 
' de  la  Playa,  of  7,000  acres ; Rancho  Neguil, 
of  12,000  acres,  and  the  Rancho  Mission 
Viejo,  on  the  east,  of  46,000  acres.  These 
ranchos  include  a great  deal  of  good  agricul- 
tural land,  but  now  the  greater  portion  is 
used  for  pasturage. 


Gospei.  Swamp — This  singularly  pro- 
ductive region  is  situated  a few  miles  north 
of  west  from  Santa  Ana,  the  soil  of  which  is 
very  similar  to  that  about  the  “Mussel 
Slough”  and  Lake  Tulare,  heretofore  noted. 
The  soil  is  wholly  composed  of  the  richest 
sedimentary  deposit,  the  decomposition  of 
vegetable  matter  that  has  been  going  on 
since  the  creation  of  the  world.  In  this 
section,  all  kinds  of  vegetables  attain  im- 
mense proportions,  so  large  that  we  dare  not 
give  the  figures.  This  is  the  pumpkin’s 
Pumpkins  weighing  320  to  340  lbs.  are  not 
uncommon  in  this  region.  A single  vine 
produced  in  1877,  1,400  lbs.  of  pumpkins 
without  any  further  care  than  putting  the 
seed  in  the  ground — and  it  was  a poor  year 
for  pumpkins  at  that.  Corn  is  the  princi- 
pal crop,  in  gathering  which  they  find 
much  difficulty,  owing  to  the  height  of  the 
stalks.  If  some  enterprising  Yankee 
would  invent  a portable  elevator  with  a 
graduated  seat  and  revolving  buckets  for 
holding  the  ears  of  corn,  he  could  find  in 
this  section  an  extensive  field  in  which  to 
operate. 

Returning  once  more  to  Los  Angeles, 
and  for  the  lust  lime,  we  take  our  old  seat, 
and  start  for  Sunrise,  at  Yuma.  [See 
Time  Table,  next  page.] 

Leaving  Los  Angeles,  our  course  is 
south  about  one  mile— on  the  track  we 
have  been  over  several  times — then  to  the 
left,  and  finally  due  east,  crossing  the 
Los  Angeles  River,  just  beyond  which  is 
the  80-acre  vineyard  of  Mr.  Sabichi,  and 
follow  up  a little  valley.  On  the  right 
are  low,  rolling  grass-covered  hills,  around 
which  are  many  little  cottages  nestling 
cosily  beneath  a wreath  of  foliage,  consist- 
ing of  orange  and  other  fruit-trees.  We 
are  now  on  an  ascending  grade,  and  shall 
continue  to  be,  for  the  next  80  miles. 

To  the  left,  about  four  miles,  is  located 

Pasadena— (Key  of  the  Valley)— quite 
commonly  known  as  the  “ Indiana  Colony,” 
a new  and  beautiful  settlement  northeast 
from  Los  Angeles  about  seven  miles,  and 
three  miles  from  the  old  mission  of  San 
Gabriel.  Five  j^ears  ago  this  position  was 
occupied  only  by  the  one  adobe  house  of 
a Spaniard,  Garfias,  who  once  owned  the 
ranche.  A company  of  eastern  men,  largely 
from  Indiana,  purchased  the  tract,  with  an 
abundant  water  privilege  arising  in  the 
Arroyo  Seco  Canyon,  and  nearly  every  one 
of  the  sub-divided  tracts  of  7j^,  15  or  30 
acres  each  was  taken  within  a year  by 
actual  settlers,  and  these,  almost  without 


250 


• 'rofutt’s  new  overland  tourist 


YUMA  DIVISION. 

From  Los  Angeles  to  Yuma. 

E.  E.  Hewitt,  Asst,  8upt, 


TOWARDS 

SUNRISE. 

LOS  ANGELES 
TIME. 

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Telegraph. 

Note  Elevation  and  Depressions. 


exception,  eastern  families  of  the  highest 
class  and  of  comfortable  means.  Young 
orange  orchards,  j ust  commencing  to  bear, 
now  form  the  principal  feature  of  the  town  ; 
its  abundant  mountain  water  is  distributed 
to  hydrants,  bath-rooms  and  fountains  in 
and  about  each  house;  the  dry-bed  of  the 
Arroyo,  on  its  w^estern  edge,  furnishes 
abundant  wood;  the  Sierra  Madra  or  San 
Fernando  range  bounds  and  guards  its 
northern  side,  and  its  site  overlooks  the 
whole  San  Gabriel  Valley. 

The  man  that  sat  down  in  a “ reserved  seat,” 
occupied  by  a wasp,  is  now  standing  up  more 
than  he  was. 


The  Lake  Vineyard  Association  has 
more  recently  opened  up  a tine  tract,  bor- 
dering Pasadena  on  the  east,  and  the  two 
settlements,  now  blending  into  one,  have 
some  seventy  houses,  many  of  them  very 
handsome,  a Presb3derian  and  a Methodist 
church,  two  school-houses,  stores,  shops 
and  a daily  mail.  Not  alone  those  who 
have  their  pretty  homes  and  orange  groves 
there  think  it  the  most  desirable  of  all 
California’s  delightful  spots,  but  unpreju- 
diced travelers,  who  have  seen  the  whole, 
acknowledge  that  here,  indeed,  as  its 
Spanish  name  asserts,  is  the  “ key  of  the 
ralley  ” and  that  valley  the  far-famed  and 
Eden  like  San  Gabriel. 

In  visiting  the  orange  groves  and  old 
Mission  Church  of  this  locality  it  will 
more  than  pay  to  turn  aside  the  two  or  three 
miles  necessary  in  order  to  see  Pasadena 
and  Lake  Vineyard. 

To  the  right,  before  reaching  the  next 
station,  several  huge  palm  trees  can  be 
seen,  like  those  shown  on  the  foreground 
of  our  illustration,  on  page  256.  They  are 
the palm,  great  numbers  of  which  are 
to  be  seen  on  our  route  hereafter. 

Passing  up  through  the  little  valley, 
9.2^miles  from  Los  Angeles,  we  come  to 

Nan  Gabriel— The  station  is  on  a 
broad  plateau  gently  sloping  from  the 
mountains  on  the  left.  Far  to  the  right, 
away  down  on  the  San  Gabriel  River,  em- 
bowered in  all  kinds  of  fruit  trees,  and  sur- 
rounded by  vineyards,  is  the  old,  Old  San 
Gabriel  Mission,  founded  Sept.  8th,  1771. 
All  the  old  missions  in  California— twenty- 
one  in  number — were  founded  by  members 
of  the  Order  of  San  Francisco,  who  were 
sent  out  by  the  college  of  San  Fernando, 
in  the  City  ot  Mexico,  who  were  of  the 
order  of  Franciscan  Friars.  The  orange 
orchard  at  the  Mission  was  the  frst  planted, 
as  the  Mission  was  the  frst  founded  in 
California  by  the  old  Padres.  Some  of  the 
trees  are  very  large,  and  continue  to  bear 
the  best  of  fruit.  The  “Wolf  kill  ” orchard 
in  Los  Angeles  is  the  next  in  age,  and  the 
second  in  size.  To  the  north  of  this  station, 
two  miles  distant,  is  situated  the 
Largest  Orange  Orchard  in  Cali- 
fornia—It  is  owned  by  L.  J.  Rose,  Esq., 
and  contains  500  acres.  In  this  orchard 
are  orange  trees  of  all  sizes,  loaded  with 
fruit  the  year  round.  Besides  oranges, 
great  numbers  of  lemon,  lime,  almond, 
English  walnut,  and  many  other  varieties 
of  fruits  and  nuts,  are  raised  here  to  the 
greatest  perfection.  Pomegranates,  5,000  in 


AND  PACIFIC  COAST  GUIDE.  251 


number,  are  ffrowina;  here,  planted  by  Gen. 
Stoneman. 

The  town  of  San  Gabriel  is  located  about 
one  and  a half  miles  north  of  the  station, 
and  is  completely  embowered  in  foliage, 
among  which  are  all  the  varieties  of  orna- 
mental trees,  fruit  trees,  vines,  and  flowers, 
grown  on  the  Pacific  Coast,  the  citizens 
seemingly  having  taken  great  pains,  to 
procure  some  of  every  kind  of  tree  and 
shrub,  with  which  to  beautify  their  other- 
wise beautiful  town. 

We  have  referred  to  the  old.  Old  Mis- 
sion, now  we  will  refer  to  the  Old  Mission 
. Church,  which  is  located  close  on  our  left, 
just  before  reaching  this  station.  It  is  in  a 
i dilapidated  condition,  but  the  bells  are 
still  hanging  in  plain  view  from  the  cars, 
which  were  wont  to  call  the  faithful  to 
their  devotions,  long  before  the  ‘^blarsted 
; Yankees”  invaded  the  country. 

The  Sierra  Madre  Villa  is  a finely  ap- 
pointed hotel,  situated  about  three  miles 
from  the  station,  away  up  on  the  foot-hills 
1,800  feet  above  the  level  of  the  sea.  It  is 
in  a most  beautiful  location,  overlooking 
the  whole  valley  of  Los  Angeles,  Santa 
Monica  and  Wilmington,  with  thousands 
of  acres  in  orange  and  fruit  orchards,  and 
in  vineyards,  in  the  foreground,  and  in  the 
rear  the  towering  mountains.  From 
springs  in  these  mountains  the  sparkling 
waters  are  conducted  in  pipes,  and  com- 
pelled to  do  duty  in  the  fountains  in  front 
of  the  Villa,  in  every  room  in  the  house, 
and  for  irrigating  3,000  orange,  lemon,  and 
other  fruit  trees  adjoining  the  hotel.  This 
is  a lovely  place  to  sojourn — if  not  forever ^ 
certainly  for  a season.  At  this  Villa  is  the 
best  of  accommodation  for  about  50  guests, 
at  charges  from  $12  to  1 15  per  week. 

Close  to  the  station,  on  the  left,  the  tour- 
' ist  will  find  a variety  of  cactus  not  hereto- 
fore seen  on  this  route.  There  are  over 
two  hundred  varieties — so  we  are  told — of 
these  cactus  plants.  The  ones  at  this 
station  grow  about  ten  feet  high,  and  are 
of  the  pad  species,  ^.  6.,  they  grow,  com- 
mencing at  the  ground,  in  a succes^on  of 
great  pads,  from  eight  inches  in  width  to 
I fifteen  inches  in  length,  and  from  one  to 
! three  inches  in  thickness.  These  pads  are 
p covered  with  sharp  thorns,  and  grow  one 
! upon  the  other,  connected  by  a tough  stem, 
i)  round  and  about  two  inches  in  diameter, 
r These  cacti  bear  a kind  of  fruit  of  a 
I pleasant  flavor,  which  is  used  principally 
i by  the  Indians  or  Spanish-Mexican  resi- 
dents. 


Prom  San  Gabriel,  we  continue  up  the 
plateau,  with  the  valley  of  San  Gabriel 
River  on  the  right,  2.5  miles  to 
{^RTanna — where  are  well-cultivated 
fields,  groves  and  vineyards.  Passing  on 
1.4  miles  further  is 

Monte — This  is  a thriving  town  of 
several  hundred  families  in  the  most  pro- 
ductive portion  of  San  Gabriel  Valley. 
Here  corn  and  hogs  are  the  staples,  and 
hog  and  hominy  the  diet.  The  settlers 
raise  immense  fields  of  corn,  and  feed 
great  numbers  of  hogs  for  market — in  fact, 
this  is  the  most  hogish  section  yet  visited, 
but  we  suppose  the  Monte  men  would 
bristle  up  if  they  were  told  so. 

Passing  on,  more  to  the  southward,  we 
soon  cross  San  Gabriel  River,  which  here 
has  a broad,  sandy  bed.  Sheep  are  raised 
in  great  numbers  in  this  and  the  section 
of  country  traversed  for  the  next  50  miles. 

Puente — is  the  next  station,  6.2  miles 
from  Monte,  where  trains  only  stop  on 
signal.  It  is  situated  on  the  east  bank  of 
San  Jose  Creek,  beyond  which  and  the 
west  is  the  La  Puente  Hills.  Most  of  the 
bottom  land  is  fenced  and  cultivated,  the 
settlers  being  mostly  Spanish  or  Mexicans. 

Coursing  around  to  the  left,  up  San 
Jose  Creek,  along  which  will  be  found 
many  Mexican  houses  and  herds  of  sheep, 
ten  miles  brings  our  train  to 
l^padra — elevation  706  feet.  This  is  a 
smaU  place  of  a score  or  more  of  dwell- 
ings, several  stores,  and  one  hotel,  and  is 
the  home  of  an  old  Missouri  gentleman, 
familiarly  called  Uncle  Billy  Rubottom, 
whose  house  is  in  a grove  just  opposite 
the  station  on  the  right,  a few  hundred 
yards  from  the  depot.  He  has  lived  here 
near  30  years,  and  keeps  “open  house” 
for  all  his  friends,  in  real  old  Southern 
style.  He  can  often  be  seen  at  the  depot 
mounted  on  his  mustang,  under  a sombrero, 
something  smaller  than  a circus  tent,  and 
as  happy  as  a bevy  of  New  England  girls 
would  be  in  a Los  Angeles  orange  orchard. 

Passing  on  up  the  creek,  which  is 
gradually  dwindling,  beyond  which  are  a 
succession  of  buttes,  or  low,  grass-covered 
hills,  3.5  miles  brings  us  to 
Pomona — This  is  a promising  little 
town  of  about  600,  with  some  good  build- 
ings. Garcy  avenue — the  j^rincipal  one — 
is  planted  on  each  side,  with  Monterey 
cypress  and  eucalyptus  trees,  and  presents 
a beautiful  appearance.  Four  artesian 
wells  supply  the  town  with  water,  and  for 
irrigating  purposes,  these  wells  range 


252 


crofutt’s  new  overland  tourist 


!i  from  26  to  65  feet  in  depth,  and  flow  an 
I immense  amount  of  water,  which  is  as 
I pure  as  crystal.  A reservoir  holding 
I 3,300,000  gallons  is  kept  full  as  a reserve 
j at  all  times.  Here,  too,  we  And  many 
I orchards  of  orange,  lemon,  flg,  and  fruit 

I trees.  From  Pomona  it  is  9.5  miles  to  the 
side-track  and  signal  station  of 
C ucamonga  — elevation,  952  feet. 
Two  and  a half  miles  north  is  the  Cuca- 
monga Ranche,  celebrated  for  its  wines. 
To  the  south,  ten  miles,  is  Rincon  Settle- 
ment, a rich  agricultural  region,  under  a 
most  complete  system  of  irrigation,  the 
j water  being  supplied  by  the  Santa  Anna 
I River,  which  carries  a large  volume  of 
I water  at  all  seasons.  A run  of  15.2  miles 
through  a section  of  country  where  are  a 
few  good  ranches  and  some  sheep,  and 
I we  come  to 

I Colton— This  place  was  named  for 
;;  the  Vice-President  of  the  Southern  Pacific, 

I and  is  a regular  eating  station  for  trains 
I from  the  East  and  West.  The  town  is  not  a 
I very  large  one  at  present— about  200  per- 
sons will  be  the  full  number — yet  it  is  quite 
a busy  station,  as  it  is  the  nearest  station 
to  San  Bernardino,  on  the  east,  and  River- 
side on  the  southwest.  The  Colton  and 
the  Trans-Continental  are  the  principal 
hotels.  Meals  are  good  at  either,  and  cost 
: 50  cents.  Colton  has  a newspaper— the 
Semi-Tropic,  that  makes  its  bow  weekly. 

I The  Railroad  Company  have  erected  a 
good  station  building  and  large  freight 
houses. 

Stages  leave  on  arrival  of  trains  for  San 
; Bernardino,  four  miles  east ; fare,  50  cents ; 
to  Riverside,  eight  miles  southwest,  fare, 
75  cents. 

The  Riverside  Colony  — has  8,000 
I acres  of  the  best  of  agricultural  land,  all 
of  which  is  under  irrigating  ditches,  and 
is  in  a very  thriving  condition. 

San  Bernardino — four  miles  east,  is 
the  county  seat  of  San  Bernardino  county, 
the  largest  in  the  State,  01  miles  east  of 
; Los  Angeles.  It  was  settled  by  a colony 
I of  Mormons  in  1847,  and  the  town  laid  out' 
in  the  same  manner  as  Salt  Lake  City,  with 
water  running  through  all  the  principal 
streets  from  a never-failing  supply  obtained 
from  numerous  springs  and  creeks  in  and 
coming  down  from  the  San  Bernardino 
Mountains  on  the  east,  close  to  the  base  of 
i which  the  town  is  located.  All  the  Mor- 
I mons  now  living  there  are  “ Josephites,” 

I Brigham,  some  years  since,  having  called 
I home  to  Salt  Lake  all  who  were  devoted 


to  him.  The  town  contains  a population 
of  about  6,000,  most  of  "v/hom  are  engaged 
m fruit  raising  and  agricultural  pursuits. 
Fruit  trees  of  all  kinds,  with  vineyards 
gardens  and  groves,  are  the  rule,  and,  alto- 
gether, it  is  a very  beautiful  town. 

San  Bernardino  is  on  the  old  trail 
through  the  Cajou  Pass,  to  the  mining 
regions  of  Nevada  and  Arizona,  now  of 
little  use.  The  valley  of  San  Bernardino 
contains  36,000  acres.  Crops  of  all  kinds 
grow  in  this  valley.  Much  of  the  land 
produces  two  crops  a year— barley  for  the 
first,  and  corn  for  the  second;  of  the 
former,  fifty  bushels  to  the  acre  is  the  av- 
erage yield,  and  of  the  latter,  from  fifty  to 
sixty  bushels.  Of  alfalfa,  from  five  to  six 
crops  a year  are  grown. 

Six  miles  north  of  San  Bernardino  is 
Waterman’s  Hot  Springs.  These  springs 
are  said  to  be  almost  a sure  cure  for  the 
rheumatism;  they  are  700  feet  above  the 
valley,  and  1,800  above  sea  level. 

Near  are  the  San  Bernardino  Mountains, 
the  most  prominent  peak  of  which  to  the 
eastward  is  8,750  feet  above  sea  level. 


Returning  to  Colton,  another  engine  is 
attached  to  our  train,  and  we  proceed  to 
climb  the  San  Gorgonio  Pass;  so  we  bid 
adieu  to  the  orange  groves,  the  beautiful 
fruit  orchards,  the  luscious  vineyards,  and 
the  glorious  climate  of  Los  Angeles  county, 
as  we  shall  see  no  more  of  those  attrac- 
tions on  this  trip.  “ Fare-thee-well,  and  if 
forever,  still,  forever  fare-thee-well.” 

Leaving  Colton,  we  cross  Santa  Anna 
River,  and  3.4  miles  from  Colton  come  to 
Mound  City,  a signal  station,  with  an 
elevation  of  1,055  feet.  The  road  now 
runs  up  a narrow  canyon  with  low  hills 
on  each  side. 

Sheep  are  the  only  things  of  life  now 
noticeable.  Eleven  miles  further  comes 

El  Caiseo  — another  signal  station, 
situated  in  a ravine  extending  to  the  Pass. 
Up  this  ravine  the  average  gi  ade  is  80  feet 
to  the  mile;  elevation,  1,874  feet.  We  are 
now  in  a section  where  large  quantities  of 
peaches  are  raised. 

Continuing  up  the  mountain  8.5  miles 
brings  us  to  the  Summit  of  the  Pass,  2,592 
feet,  at 

Nan  Gorg;onio — There  are  some 
good  agricultural  lands  near,  when  irri- 
gated, and  a scheme  is  on  foot  to  bring  the 
water  from  the  mountains  to  the  northeast, 
twelve  miles  distant,  for  that  purpose. 

From  this  station  it  is  down  grade  for 


AND  PACIFIC  COAST  GUIDE 


253 


6.2  miles  t)  Banning,  a signal  station,  and 
5.7  miles  more  brings  us  to 

Cabazoii  (pronounced  Cabb-a-zone), 
wliich  means  “Big  Head,”  named  for  a 
tribe  of  Indians  who  live  in  this  country ; 
elevation,  1,779  feet.  We  are  now  in  the 
Coahulian  Valley.  To  the  right  are  the  San 
Jacinto  Mountains,  covered  with  timber. 
From  Cabazon  it  is  8.5  miles  to  White 
Wateu,  an  unimportant  signal  station, 
1,126  feet  altitude,  where  we  enter  the 
cactus  and  desert  country,  and  from  which 
station  it  is  7 5 miles  to 

JSeven  Palms— elevation  584  feet. 
This  station  was  named  for  seven  large 
palm  trees,  situated  about  one  mile  north 
of  the  station.  They  are  from  40  to  60  feet 
in  height,  wi?h  very  large,  spreading  tops. 
The  water  at  this  station  is  the  first  and 
best  on  the  west  side  of  the  desert,  and  in 
the  days  when  emigrants  traveled  this 
route  with  teams,  it  was  one  of  the  points 
looked  forward  to  with  much  pleasure. 

From  this  station  to  DosPalmas,  a little 
over  50  miles,  the  palm  trees  are  abundant, 
otherwise  the  route  for  the  next  18  miles  is 
a “ howling  wilderness.” 

Indio — is  20.8  miles  from  Seven  Palms, 
with  a depression  of  just  twenty  feet  helow 
sea  level.  The  palm  trees  along  here  are 
many  of  them  70  feet  in  height.  When  we 
commenced  to  descend  below  the  sea  level, 
three  miles  before  reaching  Indio,  we  left 
the  ^and-belt  and  entered  a region  more 
adapted  for  agricultural  purposes,  strange 
as  it  may  seem.  The  cactus  grows  luxu- 
riantly, and  the  mesquite  shrub  and  palms 
cover  the  face  of  the  land.  Fiom  this 
point  we  descend  lower  and  lower  at  every 
revolution  of  the  wheels,  down,  down  under 
the  sea.  Methinks  we  can  see  the  huge 
ships  sailing  over  our  heads,  and  many  of 
the  leviathans  of  the  deep,  with  an  eye  cast 
wistfully  down  upon  us ; then  we  think  of 
Jonah,  and  wonder  if  we  will  come  out  as 
he  did ; then,  along  comes  the  fi  eebooter, 
Mr.  Shark,  and  appears  to  be  taking  our 
measure  with  a knowing  wink  of  his  left 
fin — he  rises  to  the  surface  as  though  to  get 
a fresh  breath  and  a better  start  for  a grand 
dive,  looking  as  hungry  as  a New  York 
landlord,  a^  enterprising  as  a Chicago 
drummer  and  as  “cheeky  ” as  some  of  die 
literary  thieves  who  pirate  information 
from  our  book,  without  giving  credit. 

In  some  points  of  the  depression,  where 
we  first  enter  it,  three  miles  north  of  Indio, 
fresh  w^ater  can  be  obtained  by  sinking 
from  twelve  to  sixteen  feet.  Here,  vegeta- 


tion isyery  luxuriant ; mesquite,  iron-wood, 
arrow- wood,  grease-wood,  sage  and  other 
woods  and  shrubs  abound.  Further  to  the 
south,  from  Walters  to  Flowing  Wells,  a 
distance  of  over  40  miles,  the  country  is 
completely  barren.  Through  this  section, 
the  water  obtained  by  digging  is  very  salt. 

The  beach  surrounding  this  depression 
is  40  feet  above  high  water;  the  lines  are 
the  same  noticeable  around  any  salt  beach, 
the  pebbles  laying  in  rows,  away  around  f 
the  different  water-lines,  as  though  lelt  but  | 
yesterday  by  the  receding  waters.  Marine 
and  fresh  water  shells  are  numerous,  indi-  \ 
eating  a fresh  water  lake  here,  subsequent  | 
to  its  b(  ing  a part  of  the  ocean. 

Walters— is  13.3  miles  from  Indio,  j 
where  passenger  trains  meet  and  pass.  At  5 
this  point  we  are  135  feet  bdow  the  level  of  , 
the  sea,  and  still  going  d wn.  Ten  miles  | 
lurther  and  we  are  266  feet  below ; gradually  ;; 
we  ascend,  and  at  the  next  station,  17.4  | 
miles  from  Walters,  are  at  ! 

l>os  Palmas— only  253  feet  below. 

A “ buck-board  stage  ” leaves  here  every 
alternate  day,  on  the  arrival  of  trains,  car- 
rying passengers,  mails  and  express,  for 
Eherenburg,  108  miles;  Eherenburg  to 
Wickenburg,  128  miles;  Wickenburg  to 
Prescott,  65  milts;  fare  averages  16  cents  | 
per  mile. 

From  Dos  Palmas,  desolation  reigns 
supreme^  and  10.9  miles  brings  us  to  | 

Fink’s  Springs — Here  we  are  i 
seven  feet  low(  r than  at  Dos  Palmas,  being  | 
260  feet  below ; a little  further  it  will  be  262  j 
feet  when  we  commence  to  rise.  J 

Five  miles  south,  is  twenty-five  square  j 
miles  of  mud  springs.  The  first  is  about  | 

1 00  yards  east  of  the  road,  and  is  cold.  I 
Then  to  the  right,  from  one  to  six  miles,  are  | 
many  springs,  both  hot  and  cold.  Some  1 
are  )c00  leet  in  diameter,  boiling  up  as  J 
though  in  a huge  caldron,  just  on  a level  j 
Willi  the  ground.  Others  are  smaller,  cone-  5 
shaped,  rising  in  some  cases  25  feet  from  : 
the  ground,  a kind  of  miniature  volcanoes,  j 
The  mud  in  these  springs  is  much  the  same  ' 
consistency  as  ordinary  mush,  bubbling  up  I 
as  in  a pot,  over  a slow  fire.  The  smell,  : 
coupled  with  an  occasional  rumbling  sound,  j 
reminds  one  of  a region  of  which  our  i 
modern  teachers  deny  the  existence.  t 

The  railroad  track  does  not  cross  this 
depression  in  the  lowest  place,  as  an  area^  I 
west  from  Dos  Palmas  is  twelve  and  a half 
feet  lower.  This  has  been  called  a Vol- 
canic country.  There  are  no  signs  that  : 
would  indicate  it  ever  to  have  been  dis- 


254 


crofutt’s  new  overland  tourist 


turbed  by  volcanic  eruptions,  except  the 
presence  of  the  mud  springs ; on  the  con- 
trary, most  of  the  rocks  surrounding  this 
basin  for  fifty  miles  are  granite,  which  is 
unusual  in  a volcanic  section  of  country. 
What  few  rocks  there  are  here,  that  are  not 
granite,  show  no  appearance  of  volcanic 
matter.  Spurs  of  SanBernardino  Mountains 
have  been  on  our  left,  up  to  this  point,  after 
which  they  dwindle  to  small,  isolated 
sand  hills,  here  and  there. 

Flowing  Well— is  the  next  station, 
17.7  miles  from  Fink’s  Springs.  We  have 
risen,  so  that  we  are  now  only  45  feet  helow 
sea  level.  At  this  station  the  Railroad 
Company  sank  an  artesian  well  160  feet  deep, 
and  got  an  abundance  of  water,  through  a 
six-inch  pipe,  but  it  was  too  salt  for  use. 
Six  miles  further,  we  pass  Tortuga,  a sig- 
nal station,  183  feet  altitude,  and  6.1  miles 
further  come  to 

Mammoth  Tank — so  named  from  a 
natural  water  tank  in  the  granite  rocks  on 
the  left,  five  miles  distant,  which  holds  10,000 
gallons,  filled  by  rains,  and  nearly  always 
has  water  in  it.  It  is  said  there  are  several 
hundred  varieties  of  cactus  on  this  desert, 
and  we  are  ready  to  admit  the  statement 
without  hunting  further  proof  than  what 
can  be  seen  from  the  car  window.  They 
are  here^  of  all  sizes,  shape  and  form. 
Eleven  miles  further,  we  come  to  another 
signal  station  called  Mesquite,  so  named 
because  there  is  no  mesquite  near  or  in  the 
immediate  vicinity.  Next  comes— 13.8 
miles — 

Cactus— elevation,  396  feet,  named  for 
a variety  of  cactus  called  “ ocotilla,”  which 
grows  in  great  numbers,  near. 

To  the  east,  from  this  station,  can  be 
seen  Chimney  Peak — a conglomerate  rock 
—a  huge  cone,  160  feet  in  diameter,  which 
rises  from  the  summit  of  some  low  hills, 
700  feet  in  height,  beyond  which,  40  miles 
away,  can  be  seen  the  Castle  Dome  Moun- 
tains. They  are  on  the  east  side  of  the'  ^ 
Colorado  River,  from  the  summit  of  which  i 
rises  Castle  Dome,  a granite  column,  500 
feet  above  the  mountain  range,  which  pre- 
sents the  appearance  of  a monster,  square,  ( 
flat-roofed  building,  but  which,  in  reality, 
is  a long,  narrow  column,  wdien  viewed  : 
from  a point  to  the  southward  of  the  Dome,  i 

Mesquite,  sage  and  grease-wood  shrubs  i 
are  now  to  be  seen  on  all  sides.  Directly  < 
ahead  is  a tall,  round  butte,  called  Pilot 
Knob,  on  the  east  side  of  which  are  located  j 
some  lead  mines.  Passing  on  13.6  miles,  < 
we  come  to  a signal  station,  called  Pilot  ( 


! Knob.  Here  our  course  changes  a little 
■ more  to  the  eastward,  and  we  soon  come 
; in  view  of  the  Colorado  River,  with  a 
i wide,  sandy  bottom  covered  with  willows 
. and  mesquite.  From  Pilot  Knob  it  is  9.4 
: miles  to  Yuma,  about  five  of  which  brings 
! to  us  the  first  view  of  the  river,  and  the 
1 next  four  to  the  west  end  of  the  bridge. 
To  the  left,  before  crossing  the  bridge,  is 
Port  Yuma,  a Government  post,  occupied 
by  about  one  dozen  “ boys  in  blue.”  It  is 
on  a high  butte,  overlooking  the  surround- 
ing country.  To  the  rights  on  the  opposite 
side  of  the  river,  on  a high  bluff,  is  located 
the  Quartermaster’s  Department.  Cross- 
ing the  bridge,  which  has  a draw  for  river 
boats,  and  through  a deep  cut,  we  are  at 
the  end  of  the  road,  in  Arizona,  and  at 
Yuma  City — This  is  unlike  any 
city  we  have  heretofore  visited.  It  con- 
tains a population  of  about  1,500,  one- 
fifih  of  whom  are  Americans,  the  balance 
Spanish,  Mexicans,  and  natives — Indians. 
The  buildings  are  all  one  story,  high, 
made  of  sod,  adobe,  or  sun-dried  brick, 
the  walls  being  from  two  to  four  feet  thick, 
with  flat  roofs.  The  roofs  are  made  by  a 
layer  of  poles,  covered  with  willows,  some- 
times a covering  of  cloth,  or  rawhide  be- 
neath them,  and  then  covered  with  dirt  to 
a thickness  of  from  one  to  two  feet.  On 
all  sides  of  these  houses  verandas  project 
from  ten  to  twenty  feet,  built  of  poles,  like 
the  roof,  some  with  dirt,  others  with  only 
the  brush.  These  verandas  are  built  for 
protection  against  the  powerful  rays  of  the 
sun.  In  summer  the  heat  is  intense ; often 
the  mercury  marks  126,  and  once,  some 
years  ago,  we  learn  from  a reliable  author, 
ity,  it  was  130  degrees  in  the  shade.  As 
might  be  supposed,  snow  and  frost  are  un- 
known in  Yuma.  In  summer,  the 
American,  Spanish  and  Mexican  residents 
wear  as  little  clothing  as  possible,  while 
the  native  Indians’  covering  will  not  ex- 
ceed the  size  of  a small  pocket  handker- 
chief, adjusted  in  the  mother  Eve  fashion, 
with  sometimes  a long,  trailing  strip  of 
red  material  dangling  from  the  rear  belt, 
a la  monkey. 

In  the  hot  weather,  which  is  intense  for 
about  eight  months  in  the  year,  the  people  | 
sleep  on  the  roofs  of  the  houses,  covered 
by  the  drapery  furnished  by  nature — 
darkness. 

Yuma,  with  all  its  varieties  of  citizens, 
is  a very  orderly  city.  The  great  majority 
of  the  people  are  Roman  Catholics,  that 
denomination  having  the  only  church 


AND  PACIFIC  COAST  GUIDE.  255 


! building  in  the  city.  There  are  a few 
' stores,  with  quite  an  extensive  stock  of 
^ goods.  The  hotels  are  not  very  extensive, 
such  only  in  name ; the  Palace  and  Colorado 
^ are  the  two  principal  ones.  Yuma  has 
; one  weekly  newspaper — the  Sentinel. 

Most  of  the  Spanish  and  Mexican 
. houses  are  surrounded  with  high  fences, 

I made  of  poles,  set  in  the  ground  close  to- 
i gether,  to  a depth  of  three  or  more  feet,  and 
secured  together  about  four  feet  from  the 
I ground,  with  narrow  strips  of  raw-hide 
' interwoven,  when  soft,  around  and  between 
‘ the  poles,  so  when  the  hide  dries  the  fence 
i is  very  strong.  Many  of  these  fences  pre- 
i sent  a very  ragged  appearance,  as  the 
poles  range  in  height  from  four  to  twelve 
; feet  above  the  ground.  The  more  enter- 
prising of  the  people  saw  these  poles  otf  to 
i a uniform  height,  when  they  present  a 
■ much  more  artistic  and  finished  appear- 
I ance. 

• The  Railroad  Company  have  large  ware- 
: houses  here  built  of  lumber,  for  the  ac- 
i commodation  of  both  the  railroad  and 

steamer  business.  The  boats  on  the  Color- 
1 ado  River  are  all  owned  by  the  Railroad 
Company,  and  are  run  in  connection  with 
the  trains. 

I Just  above  the  railroad  bridge,  on  the 
west  bank  of  the  Colorado  River,  is  situ- 
ated Fort  Yuma.  It  is  located  on  the  top 
of  a bold,  round  butte  about  one-fourth  of 

• a mile  in  diameter,  rising  about  200  feet 
i above  the  river  bottom,  and  projecting 
> into  the  Colorado  River  to  meet  a promon- 
: tory  of  about  the  same  height  on  the  east 
i side.  Between  these  bold  points  fiows  the 

Colorado  River,  about  300  yards  in  width. 

? The  Colorado  River  reaches  this  point 
1 from  the  northward,  and  the  Gila  (pro- 
E nounced  Hee-le)  from  the  east,  forming  a 
^ junction  close  above  the  points  named. 

^ It  is  proposed  by  those  managing  the  in- 
terests (so  we  hear)  of  the  Texas  & Pa- 
[ cific  railroad,  to  build  a bridge  across  the 
t Colorado  River  at  these  bluffs,  some  work 
f of  grading  having  been  done  in  the  fall  of 
! 1877,  just  previous  to  the  locating  of  the 
present  railroad  bridge,  a few  hundred 
n yards  below. 

f Prom  the  high  butte  above  named,  a 
fl  view  can  be  had  of  Yuma,  the  valleys  of 
^ the  Colorado  and  the  Gila  rivers,  the 
I mesas,  and  the  surrounding  country  for 
I many  miles. 

^ Stages  leave  Yuma  daily,  carrying  pas- 
I sengers,  mails,  and  express,  for  Florence, 
p 225  miles;  Tueson,  525  miles,  and  Apacha 


Pass,  665  miles,  all  in  Arizona;  to  Silver 
City,  790  miles,  and  Mesilla,  915  miles  in 
Kew  Mexico;  then  to  El  Paso,  Texas,  965 
miles,  and  to  the  end  of  the  Texas  & Pa- 
cific railroad,  at  Fort  Worth,  900  miles 
further  east,  making  1,865  miles  between 
the  Southern  Pacific  and  the  Texas  & 
Pacific  railroads,  or  Yuma,  Arizona,  and 
Fort  Worth,  Texas. 

COLORADO  RIVER  STEAMERS. 

Passenger  and  freight  steamers  leave 
Yuma  for  Aubry,  during  the  summer 
season,  weekly,  commencing  Saturday, 
May  4th,  1878,  and  continuing  until  Oct. 
26th;  from  that  time  until  January  4th 
following,  they  will  leave  every  alternate 
Saturday.  Steamers  for  Camp  Mohava 
leave  every  fifth  Wednesday,  commencing 
Jan.  16th.  These  steamers  run  to  El- 
Dorado  Canyon,  from  May  1st  to  the  last 
of  October  (stage  of  water  permitting). 

Distance  from  Yuma,  per  river  steamer 
to  Castle  Dome,  35  miles;  fare,  $5.00; 
Eherenberg,  125  miles,  fare,  $15.00  ; 
Aubrys,  220  miles,  fare,  $28.00;  Camp 
Mohava,  300  miles,  fare,  $35.00;  Hardy- 
ville,  312  miles,  fare,  $35.00;  El  Dorado 
Canyon,  365  miles,  fare,  $45  00. 

The  Colorado  is  the  principal  River  of 
Arizona.  It  is  principally  supplied  by 
the  Grand  River,  which  rises  in  the  Middle 
Park  of  Colorado,  and  the  Green  River 
which  rises  in  the  eastern  portion  of  Idaho. 
From  the  junction  of  the  Grand  and 
Green  rivers,  the  stream  is  called  the 
Colorado,  and  with  its  windings  has  a 
length  of  3,000  miles  to  where  it  enters  the 
Gulf  of  California.  It  is  navigable  at  all 
times  about  500  miles,  and  in  a season  of 
high  water  about  150  miles  further,  to  Call- 
ville.  The  Grand  Canyon  of  the  Colorado 
has  been  “written  up”  so  often  that  it 
would  be  unnecessary  for  us  to  more  than 
allude  to  the  fact  that  the  time  is  not  far 
distant  when  a trip  to  the  Grand  Canyon 
will  be  one  of  the  most  attractive,  and  quite 
as  common  as  to  Niagara  Palls  to  the  people 
of  the  State  of  New  York.  For  nearly 
300  miles  the  channel  of  the  river  has  been 
cut  through  the  mountain  walls  that  rise 
up  on  each  side  from  1,000  to  3,500  feet, 
forming  the  largest  and  grandest  canyon 
the  eye  of  man  ever  beheld. 


See  Annex  No.  55  for  further  informa- 
tion. 


ORANGE  GROVE,  WITH  FAN  PALM  TREES  IN  THE  FOREGROUND.  (See  page  250.) 


isr  isr  E X . 


In  order  not  to  encumber  tke  body  of  this  work  with  matters  that  do  not  directly 
pertain  to  the  main  points  at  issue,  the  author  has  originated  an  “ annex,”  wherein  the 
reader  will  find  a mass  of  information  which  has  been  prepared  with  great  care,  and 
embraces  condensed  descriptions  and  statistical  information  gathered  from  the  best 
sources.  To  these  points  the  reader  is  frequently  referred,  throughout  the  work,  by  a 


i number  to  correspond  with  the  annex  sought.  The  numbers  at  the  bottom  of  the  large 
illustrations,  which  begin  at  the  first  of  the  book,  will  be  found  to  correspond  with 
those  in  the  annex,  giving  a description  of  the  same,  and,vice  versa. 


Xo.  1 Annex  American  Progress.— 

This  beautiful  picture,  which  will  be  found 
opposite  the  title  page,  is  purely  national  in 
design,  and  represents  the  United  States' 
portion  of  the  American  Continent;  the  be 
auty  and  variety,  from  the  Atlantic  to  the  Pacific 
Ocean,  illustrating  at  a glance  the  grand  drama 
of  Progress  in  the  civilization,  settlement,  and 
history  of  this  country. 

In  the  foreground,  the  central  and  principal  fig- 
ure, a beautiful  and  charming  female,  is  floating 
westward  through  the  air,  bearing  on  her  forehead 
the  “ Star  of  Empire.”  She  has  left  the  cities 
of  the  East  far  behind,  crossed  the  Alleghanies 
and  the  “Father of  Waters,”  and  still  her  course 
is  westward.  In  her  right  hand  she  carries  a book — 
common  school — the  emblem  of  education  and  the 
testimonial  of  our  national  enlightenment,  while 
with  the  left  hand  she  unfolds  and  stretches  the 
slender  wires  of  the  telegraph,  that  are  to  flash 
intelligence  throughout  the  land.  On  the  right  of 
the  picture,  is  a city,  steamships,  manufactories, 
schools  and  churches,  over  which  beams  of  light 
are  streaming  and  filling  the  air— indicative  of 
civilization.  The  general  tone  of  the  picture  on 
the  left,  declares  darkness,  waste  and  confusion . 
From  the  city  proceed  the  three  great  continental 
lines  of  railway,  passing  the  frontier  settler’s  rude 
cabin  and  tending  toward  the  Western  Ocean. 
Next  to  these  are  the  transportation  wagons, 
overland  stage,  hunters,  gold-seekers,  pony  ex- 
press, the  pioneer  emigrant,  and  the  war-dance  of 
the  “ noble  red  man.”  Fleeing  from  “ Progress,” 
and  toward  the  blue  waters  of  the  Pacific,  which 
shows  itself  on  the  left  of  the  picture,  beyond  the 
snow-capped  summits  of  the  Sierra  Nevadas,  are 
the  Indians,  buftalo,  wild  horses,  bears,  and  other 
ame,  moving  westward— ever  westward.  The 
ndians,  with  their  squaws,  pappooses,  and 
“ pony-lodges,”  turn  their  despairing  faces  toward 
the  setting  sun,  as  they  flee  from  the  presence  of 
the  wondrous  vision.  The  “Star”  is  too  much 
for  them.  What  American  man,  woman  or  child, 
does  not  feel  a heart-throb  of  exultation  as  they 
think  of  the  glorious  achievements  of  Prookess 
since  the  landing  of  the  Pilgrim  Fathers,  on 
staunch  old  Plymouth  Rock  I 
This  picture  was  the  design  of  the  author  of  the 
Tourist — is  National,  and  illustrates,  ir*  the 
most  artistic  manner,  all  those  gigantic  results  of 
American  brains  and  hands,  which  have  caused 
the  mighty  wilderness  to  blossom  like  the  rose. 

16 


]\’o.  a Annex.  Passage  Ticket  Memoranda. 


Xo.  3 Annex.  Baggage  Check  Memoranda. 


No.  4 Annex.— RATES  OF  FARE. 


New  York  to  ISan  Francisco,  California. 

Philadelphia  to 
Baltimore  “ “ 

Boston  “ 

Montreal  ‘‘  ‘‘  A.A^> 

New  Orleans  “ “ 

Cincinnati  “ “ ‘‘  

Indianapolis  ‘‘  “ “ ' 

Chicago  “ “ “ 

St.  Louis  “ “ “ 

Omaha  to  Grand  Island,  Nebraska 

“ North  Platte,  “ 

“ Sidney,  “ . 

“ “ Denver,  Colorado 

“ Colorado  Springs,  Colorado 

“ “ Pueblo,  Colorado 

“ “ Cheyenne,  Wyomii^ 

“ “ Custer  City,  Black  Hills,  via  Stage  from  Sidney 

“ “ Custer  City,  “ “ Cheyenne.. 

“ Deadwood  “ “ “ Sidney 

“ “ Deadwood,  “ “ “ Cheyenne.. 

“ Laramie,  Wyoming 

“ Ogden,  Utah. 

“ Salt  Lake  City,  Utah 

“ “ Virginia  City,  Montana,  via  Stage  from  Franklin 

“ Deer  Lodge,  “ “ “ “ 

“ “ Helena,  ‘‘  “ “ ‘‘  

“ “ Corinne,  Utah 

“ “ Kelton,  “ 

“ “ Boise  City,  Idaho,  via  Stage  from  Kelton 

‘‘  “ Silver  City,  “ 

“ Baker  City,  Oregon,  “ “ “ 

“ “ WallaWalla,Wash’n  “ “ “ “ 

“ “ Umatilla,  Oregon  “ ‘‘  “ 

“ “ Dalles,  “ “ “ “ “ 

“ Portland,  “ 


list  Class. [M  Class.lEmigFL 


“ “ “ Redding 

“ “ “ “ St’mrf’m  San  Fran’co 

Elko,  Nevada 

Battle  Mountain,  Nevada 

Reno,  Nevada 

Virginia  City,  Nevada,  via  V.  & T.  R.  R.  from  Reno 

Truckee,  Nevada 

Marysville,  California 

Sacramento,  “ 

Stockton,  “ 

Los  Angeles,  Cal.,  all  Rail  via  Lathrop 

Santa  Barbara,  Cal.,  via  Rail  and  Stage  from  Lathrop. . . 
San  Diego,  “ “ ‘‘  “ “ “ “ . .. 

San  Jose,  California ... 

San  Francisco,  California 


$138.^0 

U 105  00 

$65  00 

136  00 

104  00 

63  50 

135  50 

^ 103  50 

63  00 

142  85 

110  00 

66  00 

139  70 

104  00 

66  00 

143  00 

103  25 

70  75 

123  85 

96  00 

63  50 

119  85 

93  35 

59  75 

116  10 

88  00 

55  50 

116  00 

88  00 

55  50 

7 70 

14  55 

22  15 

35  00 

30  00 

20  00 

41  00 

35  00 

24  00 

42  75 

36  65 

24  40 

31  00 

24  00 

45  00 

25  00 

45  00 

25  00 

45  00 

25  00 

45  00 

25  00 

36  20 

77  50 

60  00 

40  00 

79  50 

6 2 00 

42  00 

105  00 

90  00 

45  00 

105  00 

90  00 

45  00 

105  00 

90  00 

45  00 

79  25 

61  75 

41  75 

85  00 

67  50 

45  00 

119  50 

108  50 

80  00 

124  50 

113  50 

80  00 

124  00 

113  50 

80  00 

125  00 

113  50 

80  00 

125  00 

113  50 

80  00 

125  00 

113  50 

80  00 

136  00 

119  50 

80  00 

143  00 

118  00 

88  00 

125  00 

100  00 

57  00 

94  35 

75  00 

45  00 

95  00 

75  00 

45  00 

98  30 

75  00 

45  00 

101  50 

78  50 

48  50 

99  00 

75  00 

45  00 

100  00 

75  00 

45  00 

100  00 

75  00 

45  00 

100  00 

75  00 

45  00 

120  00 

95  00 

55  00 

127  00 

131  00 

100  00 

75  00 

45  00 

100  00 

75  00  1 

45  00 

Children  under  five  years  of  Sige^free:  under  twelve  years,  half-fare. 


Cars  cannot  be  chartered  for  carrying  passengers ; each  person  must  be  provided  with  a i ; 
Ticket.  3. 


5.— Annex. 

OUR  WESTERN  COUNTRY. 


Past  and  Present— This  country  can  no 
longer  be  spoken  of  as  the  “ Far  West,”  as  that 
land  is  generally  conceded  to  lie  nearer  sundown, 
or  at  least  beyond  the  Rocky  Mountains.  Ne- 
braska, which  we  enter  on  crossing  the  river,  so 
lately  opened  up  to  the  world,  and  so  lately  con- 
sidered one  portion  of  the  “Wild  West,”  forms 
now  one  of  our  central  States.  It  possesses  a 
genial  climate,  good  water,  and  a fair  supply  of 
timber,  and  the  broad  prairies  of  the  eastern  por- 
tion of  the  State  are  dotted  with  well-cultivated 


and  well-stocked  farms,  that  greet  the  eye  of  the 
traveler  in  every  direction,  while  on  all  sides  may 
be  seen  the  evidences  of  thrift  and  comfort*found 
only  in  a farming  region.  Wheat,  oats  and  corn, 
yield  luxuriant  returns,  and  all  kinds  of  fruits 
and  garden  vegetables  incidental  to  this  latitude, 
can  be  grown  in  profusion.  Rarely  will  the  trav- 
eler find  a more  magnificent  scene,  and  more  sug- 
gestive of  real  wealth  and  prosperity,  than  can  be 
seen  on  these  broad  prairies,  when  the  fields  of 
yellow  grain  or  waving  corn  are  waiting  for  th  e 
harvesters.  Miles  and  miles  away  stretch  the 
undulating  plains,  far— aye,  farther  than  the  eye 
can  see. 


AND  PACIFIC  COAST  GUIDi:.  302 


In  rapid  succession  we  pass  the  better  residence 
of  the  “ old  settler,”  with  his  immense  fields  of 
grain  and  herds  of  stock,  on  beyond  the  boundaries 
of  earlier  settlements ; and  now  we  reach  the  rude 
cabin  of  the  hardy  settler  who  has  located  still 
“farther  west,”  and  here,  within  a few  years,  will 
arise  a home  as  attractive  as  those  we  have  left 
behind,  surrounded  with  orchards,  gardens  and 
flocks.  Here,  too,  will  the  snug  school-house  be 
found,  and  the  white  church  with  its  tapering 
spire,  pointing  the  people  to  the  abode  of  Him 
who  hath  so  richly  blessed  his  children . There  is 
beauty  on  every  hand.  The  wild  prairie  flowers, 
of  a thousand  different  hues  and  varieties,  greet 
the  eye  at  every  step;  and  the  tiniest  foot  that 
ever  trod  Broadway  could  scarce  reach  the  ground 
without  crushing  the  life  from  out  some  of 
these  emblems  of  purity.  And  when  the  cooling 
showers  have  moistened  the  thirsty  earth,  or  when 
the  morning  dew  is  spangling  flower,  vine  and 
tree,  there  is  more  of  quiet,  graceful  beauty— more 
of  that  spirit  floating  around  us  which  renders 
man  more  human,  and  woman  nearer  what  we 
desire  her  to  be,  than  can  be  found  within  the 
walls  of  any  city . Long  will  the  memory  of  these 
scenes  remain  impressed  on  the  mind  of  the  trav- 
eler who  admires  nature  in  all  her  phases. 

For  a long  time,  Iowa,  Indiana,  Michigan  and 
Ohio  were  supposed  to  contain  the  wheat-grow- 
ing soil  of  the  Union,  and  they  became  known  as 
the  “ Granaries  of  the  States . ” But  those  “gran- 
aries ” have  pushed  themselves  a little  “ farther 
west,”  if  we  may  be  allowed  to  use  the  expression. 
Nebraska  has  retained  a portion  of  the  name ; 
California  and  Oregon  took  the  remainder.  Ne- 
braska annually  produces  a large  surplus  of  wheat 
and  corn,  which  finds  its  way  eastward.  With 
the  advantages  possessed  by  this  State;  with  a 
water-front  of  several  hundred  miles  on  a stream 
navigable  the  greater  portion  of  the  year;  with 
the  grandest  railroad  on  the  continent  traversing 
her  entire  breadth ; with  all  the  resources  of  com- 
merce at  her  command:  with  unlimited  water 
power  for  manufactures,  it  will  be  strange,  indeed, 
if  Nebraska  does  not  sustain  her  high  rank  in  the 
great  family  of  States. 

From  our  present  stand-point  the  quotation, 
“Westward  the  Star  op  Empire  Takes  Its 
Way,”  must  apply  to 

The  Far  West— How  often  that  sentence 
has  been  quoted,  those  who  are  the  most  familiar 
with  the  growth  of  our  western  possessions 
can  best  remember.  So  often  has  it  been  ut- 
tered, that  it  has  passed  into  a household  word, 
and  endowed  its  innocent  and  unsuspecting 
author  with  an  earthly  immortality.  From  the 
boyhood  days  of  that  reliable  and  highly  re- 
spectable individual,  the  “Oldest  Inhabi- 
tant” of  any  special  locality  in  the  “Eastern 
States,”  it  has  formed  the  heading— in  large  or 
small  caps — of  nearly  every  newspaper  notice 
which  chronicled  the  fact  that  some  family  had 
packed  their  household  goods  and  gods  (mostly 
goods)  and  left  their  native  land  of  woods,  rocks, 
churches  and  school-houses,  to  seek  a home 
among  the  then  mythical  prairies  ©f  the  “Far 
West.”  But  oh ! in  later  years,  how  that  quotation 
ran  across  the  double  columns  of  these  same 
papers  in  all  conceivable  forms  of  type,  when 
the  fact  was  chronicled  that  one  of  our  West- 
ern Territories  was  admitted  as  a State  into  the 
Union. 

Well,  but  where  was  your  “Far  West”  tJien^ 
where  people  went  when  they  had  “ Westward, 
hoi  ” on  the  brain?  asks  one,  who  speaks  of  the 
West  as  that  part  of  our  country  which  lies  be- 
tween the  summit  of  the  Eocky  Mountains  and 


the  waters  of  the  Pacific  Ocean?  Well,  the  “ Far 
West”  of  that  time,  that  almost  mythical  region, 
was  what  now  constitutes  those  vast  and  fertile 
prairies  which  lie  south  and  west  of  the  great 
lakes,  and  east  of  and  bordering  on  the  Mississippi 
Fiver.  All  west  of  that  was  a blank;  the  home  of 
the  savage,  the  wild  beast,  and  all  unclean  things 
—at  least  so  said  the  “ Oldest  Inhabitant.” 

But  our  hardy  pioneers  passed  the  Rubicon, 
and  the  West  receded  before  their  advance.  Mis- 
souri was  peopled,  and  the  Father  of  Waters  be- 
came the  great  natural  highway  of  a mighty  com- 
merce, sustained  in  equal  parts  by  the  populous 
and  newly  made  States  lying  on  both  its  banks, 
which  had  been  carved  out  of  the  “ Far  West  ” by 
the  hands  of  the  hardy  pioneers. 

Ohio,  Indiana,  Illinois,  Michigan,  Minnesota, 
Missouri  and  Iowa,  had  joined  the  sisterhood, 
and  yet  the  tide  of  emigration  stayed  not.  It  tra- 
versed the  trackless  desert,  scaled  the  Rocky 
Mountains,  and  secured  a foothold  in  Oregon. 
But  it  passed  not  by  unheeding  the  rich  valleys 
and  bioad  prairies  of  Nebraska,  which  retained 
what  became,  with  subsequent  additions,  a per- 
manent and  thriving  population.  Then  the  yel- 
low gold,  which  had  been  found  in  California, 
drew  the  tide  of  emigration  thitherward,  and  in  a 
few  years  our  golden-haired  sister  was  added  to 
the  number  comprising  the  States  of  the  Union. 

Oregon  and  Nevada  on  the  western  slope,  Kan- 
sas and  Nebraska  on  the  east,  followed,  and,  later, 
Colorado,  and  still  we  have  Dakota,  Idaho,  Mon- 
tana, Washington,  Utah,  Arizona,  and  New  Mex- 
ico Territories,  to  say  nothing  of  Alaska,  waiting 
the  time  when  they  too  shall  be  competent  to  add 
their  names  to  the  roll  of  honor  and  enter  the 
Union  on  an  equality  with  the  others.  Thus  we 
see  that  the  “ Far  West”  of  to-day  has  become 
far  removed  from  the  West  of  thirty— or  even  ten- 
years  ago,  and  what  is  now  the  central  portion  of 
our  commonwealth  was  then  the  Far^  Far  West. 

All  is  Cliaiigied— To-day  the  foam-crested 
waves  of  the  Pacific  Ocean  bear  on  their  bosoms  a 
mighty  and  steadily  increasing  commerce. 
China,  Japan,  Australia,  the  Sandwich  Islands, 
South  America,  and  the  Orient  are  at  our  doors. 

A rich,  powerful,  populous  section,  comprising 
three  States,  has  arisen,  where  but  a few  years 
since  the  Jesuit  missions  among  the  savages  were 
the  only  marks  of  civilization.  And  all  over  the 
once  unknown  waste,  amid  the  cosy  valleys  and  on 
the  broad  plains,  are  the  scattered  homes  of  the 
hardy  and  brave  pioneer  husbandmen ; while  the 
bleak  mountains— once  the  home  of  the  savage  and 
wild  beast,  the  deep  gulches  and  gloomy  canyons, 
are  illuminated  with  the  perpetual  fires  of  the 
“ smelting  furnaces,”  the  ring  of  pick,  shovel  and 
drill,  the  clatter  of  stamps  and  booming  of  blasts, 
all  tell  of  the  presence  of  the  miner,  and  the 
streams  of  wealth  which  are  daily  flowing  into  our 
national  coffers  are  rapidly  increasing  ; for,  just  in 
proportion  as  the  individual  becomes  enriched,  so 
does  his  country  partake  of  his  fortune. 

Condensed  History— it  is  only  a score  of 
years  ago  since  the  Government  of  the  United 
States,  in  order  to  better  protect  her  citizens  that 
had  spread  themselves  over  the  wild  expanse  of 
country  between  the  Missouri  River  and  the  Pa- 
cific Ocean,  and  from  the  Mexican  on  the  south 
and  the  British  possessions  on  the  north,  estab- 
lished a system  of  military  forts  and  posts,  extend- 
ing north  and  south,  east  and  west,  over  this  Terri- 
tory. Though  productive  of  much  good,  they  were 
not  sufficient  to  meet  the  requirements  of  the 
times,  and  in  many  places  settlers  and  miners 
were  murdered  with  impunity  by  the  Indians. 

1 Wise  men  regarded  rapid  emigration  as  the  only 


303 


CKOFUTt’s  new  OYEKLANI)  TOUlllST 


safe  plan  of  security,  and  this  could  not  be  accom- 
plished without  swifter,  surer,  aud  cheaper  means 
of  transporting  the  poor,  who  would  gladly  avail 
themselves  of  the  opportunity  to  possess  a free 
larm,  or  reach  the  gold  fields  of  the  West.  The 
railroad  and  telegraph — twin  sisters  of  civilization 
--were  talked  of,  but  old  fogies  shook  their  heads 
in  the  plentitude  of  their  wisdom,  piously  crossed 
themselves,  and  clasped  with  a firmer  grasp  their 
money  bags,  when  Young  America  dared  broach 
the  subject,  “No,  sir,  no;  the  thing  is  totally 
absurd ; impracticable,sir ; don’t  talk  any  more  of 
such  nonsense  to  me,’»  they  would  reply,  as  they 
turned  away  to  go  to  their  church  or  to  their  stock 
gambling  in  Wall  street— probably  the  latter  occu- 
pation . But  1 oung  America  did  not  give  up  to 
this  theory  or  accept  the  dictum  of  Moneybags ; 
and  as  the  counties  of  the  West  grew  and  ex- 
panded under  the  mighty  tide  of  immigration, 
they  clamored  for  a safe  and  speedy  transit  be- 
tween them  and  their  “Fatherland.”  Government 
with  its  usual  red-tape  delays  and  scientific  way  of 
how  to  do  heeded  not  the  appeal,  until  the 
red  hand  of  War— of  Rebelion— pointed  out  to  it  the 
stern  necessity  of  securing,  by  iron  bands,  the  fair 
dominions  of  the  West  from  foreign  or  domes- 
tic foe. 

Notwithstanding  that  Benton,  Clark,  and  others 
had  long  urged  the  necessity  and  practicability  of 
the  scheme,  the  wealth  and  power  which  would 
accrue  to  the  country  from  its  realization,  the  idea 
found  favor  with  but  few  of  our  wise  legislators 
until  they  awoke  to  the  knowledge  that  even  the 
loyal  State  of  California  was  in  danger  of  being 
abandoned  by  those  in  command,  and  turned  over 
to  the  insurgents ; that  a rebel  force  was  forming 
in  Texas  with  the  Pacific  coast  as  its  objective 
point;  that  foreign  and  domestic  mechinations 
threatened  the  dismemberment  of  the  Union  into 
three  divisions ; not  until  all  this  stared  them  in 
the  face  could  our  national  Solons  see  the  practica- 
bility of  the  scherne  so  earnestly  and  ably  advocated 
by  Sargent  of  California  and  his  able  coadjutors  in 
the  noble  work.  To  this  threatened  invasion  of 
our  Western  possessions,  what  had  Government  to 
offer  for  successful  defense?  Nothing  but  a few 
half-finished  and  illy-manned  forts  around  the  bay, 
and  the  untaught  militia  of  the  Pacific  coast.  Un- 
der this  pressure  was  the  charter  granted;  and  it 
may  truly  be  said  that  the  road  was  inaugurated 
oy  the  grandest  carniral  of  blood  the  world  has 
^er  known;  for,  without  the  pressure  of  the  re- 
bellion, the  road  would  probably  be  in  embryo  to- 
day. Although  the  American  people  had  been 
keenly  alive  to  the  importance  oi  a speedy  transit 
between  the  two  extremes  of  the  Continent  ever 
since  the  discovery  of  gold  on  the  Pacific  slope, 
up  to  this  time  the  old,  vague  rumors  of  barren 
deserts,  dark,  deep,  and  gloomy  gorges,  tremend- 
ous, rugged,  snow-clad  mountains,  and  the  wild 
savage,  made  the  idea  seem  preposterous.  Even 
the  reports  of  the  emigrants  could  not  convince 
them  to  the  contrary;  nor  yet  the  reports  of  the 
Mormons  who  marked  and  mapped  a feasible  route 
to  Salt  Lake  City.  And  it  is  worthy  of  remark, 
that,  for  over  700  miles  the  road  follows  very  closely 
their  survey. 

Practical,  earnest  men,  disabused  the  minds  of 
the  people  regarding  the  impracticability  oi  the 
scheme,  after  the  road  had  became  a national  ne- 
cessity—a question  of  life  and  unity  of  the  Repub- 
lic. The  great  work  has  been  accomplished,  and 
to-day  the  locomotive  whirls  its  long  train,  filled 
with  emigrants  or  pleasure  seekers,  through  that 
region  which,  only  a few  years  ago,  was  but  a dim, 
undefined,  mythical  land,  composed  of  chaos,  and 
the  last  faint  efforts  of  nature  to  render  that  cha- 


otic State  still  more  inhospitable  and  uninviting 
IIow  great  the  chauge  from  the  ideal  to  the  rear  i 
h or  three  hundred  miles  after  leaving  Omaha,  that 
vague  “ Great  American  Desert  ” proves  to  be  as 
beautiful  and  fertile  a succession  of  valleys  as  can 
be  found  elsewhere,  under  like  geographical  posi- 
Jjons.  Great  is  the  change  indeed;  still  greater 
the  changes  through  which  our  country  has  passed 
during  the  period  from  the  commencement  to  the 
ending  of  our  proudest  national  civil  record,  save 
one  We  live  in  a fast  age;  the  gentle  breeze  of 
to-day  was  the  tornado  of  fifty  years  ago. 

In  noting  the  history  of  the  Continental  railroad 
we  rnust  speak  of  the  attempts  in  that  direction 
which  had  been  made  by  other  parties . Missouri, 
through  her  able  and  liberal  legislature,  was  the 
first  State  to  move  in  the  construction  of  a na- 
tional or  continental  railroad . The  Legislature  of 
that  State  granted  a charter,  under  which  was  in- 
corporated the  Missouri  and  Pacific  Railroad  Co., 
who  were  to  build  a road,  diverging  at  Franklin, 
southwest,  via  Rollo,  Springfield,  Neosho  (the 
Galena  district),  and  along  the  line  of  the  thirty- 
sixth  parallel  to  Santa  Fe,  New  Mexico.  From 
Santa  Fe,  to  San  Francisco  preliminary  surveys 
were  made,  and  had  it  not  been  for  the  rebellion, 
this  road  would  undoubtedly  have  been  completed 
long  ere  this ; good  authorities  placing  the  limit 
at  1864.  The  cause  which  compelled  the  construc- 
tion of  the  Union  and  Central  roads,  destroyed  the 
Southern.  Passing,  as  it  did,  mostly  through 
Southern,  hostile  territory,  Government  could  not 
aid  or  protect  it  in  its  construction,  and  conse- 
quently the  work  was  suspended.  The  States  of 
Arkansas  and  Tennessee,  by  their  legislatures, 
proposed  to  assist  the  work,  by  coustructing  a 
railroad  from  Little  Rock,  to  connect  with  the  M. 
& P.,  somewhere  between  the  ninety-eighth  and 
one  hundred  and  second  degree  of  longitude,  and 
for  that  purpose  a charter  was  granted. 

Organization  of  tlie  Pacific  Rail- 
road—The  evident,  and  we  might  add,  the  im- 
perative necessity  of  connecting  the  East  and 
West,  and  the  intervening  Territories,  encouraged 
the  corporators  of  the  great  trans-continental  line 
to  apply  to  the  Government  for  aid.  Many  meas- 
ures were  devised  and  laid  before  the  people,  but  the 
supposed  impregnability  of  the  Rocky  Mountains, 
and  other  natural  obstacles  to  be  encountered, 
caused  a hesitancy  even  then  on  the  part  of  our 
energetic  people  to  commence  the  great  work.  To 
attempt  to  lay  the  iron  rail  through  vast  tracts  of 
unknown  country,  inhabited  by  wandering,  hostile 
tribes  of  savage  nomads ; to  scale  the  snow-clad 
peaks  of  the  Rocky  Mountains  with  the  fiery  lo- 
comotive, seemed  an  undertaking  too  vast  for 
even  the  American  people  to  accomplish.  But  the 
absolute  IMPORTANCE,  the  urgent  necessity  of 
such  a work,  overcame  all  objections  to  the 
scheme,  and  in  1862  Congress  passed  an  act,  which 
was  approved  by  President  Lincoln  on  the  first  day 
of  J uly  of  that  year,  by  which  the  Government 
sanctioned  the  undertaking,  and  promised  the  use 
of  its  credit  to  aid  in  its  speedy  completion.  The 
act  was  entitled  “An  act  to  aid  in  the  construc- 
tion of  a railroad  and  telegraph  line  from  the  Mis- 
souri River  to  the  Pacific  Ocean,  and  to  secure  to 
the  Government  the  use  of  the  same  for  postal, 
military,  and  other  purposes.” 

liand  CjJraiit— The  Government  grant  of 
lands  to  the  great  national  highway,  as  amended, 
was,  every  alternate  section  of  land  for  20  miles  on 
each  side  of  the  road,  or  20  sections,  equaling  12,- 
800  acres  for  each  mile  of  the  road.  By  the  Com- 
pany’s table,  the  road,  as  completed,  is  1,776  18- 
100  miles  long  from  Omaha  to  Sacramento.  This 
would  give  the  companies  22,735,104  acres,  divided 


AND  PACIFIC  COAST  GUIDE. 


304 


r 

I 

i 
i 

I as  follows:  Union  Pacific,  13,295,104;  Central  Pa- 
cific,^9, 440,000. 

i By  mutual  agreement  between  the  Union  and 
• Central  companies,  made  several  years  ago,  Og- 
i den,  in  Utah,  has  been  decided  upon  as  the 
“junction  ” of  the  two  roads. 

In  addition  to  the  grant  of  lands  and  right  of 
way.  Government  agreed  to  issue  its  thirty  year  six 
per  cent,  bonds  in  aid  of  the  work,  graduated  as 
follows : for  the  plains  portion  of  the  road,  $16,- 
000  per  mile ; for  the  next  most  difficult  portion, 
$32,000  per  mile;  for  the  mountainous  portion, 
$48,000  per  mile. 

The  Union  Pacific  Kailroad  Co.  built  525  78-100 
! miles,  for  which  they  received  $16,000  per  mile; 

363  602-1000  miles  at  $32,000  per  mile ; 150  miles  at 
i $48,000  per  mile,  making  a total  of  $25,236,512. 
i The  Central  Pacific  Railroad  Co.  built?  18-100 
' miles  at  $16,000  per  mile ; 580  32.100  miles  at  $32,- 
000  per  mile ; 150  miles  at  $48,000  per  mile,  making 
I a total  of  $25,885,120. 

li  The  total  subsidies  for  both  roads  amount  to 
$52,121,632.  Government  also  guaranteed  the  in- 
terest on  the  companies’  first  mortgage  bonds  to 
an  equal  amount. 

Cost  of  construction,  material,  etc.— 

.1  In  the  construction  of  the  whole  line,  there  were 
!j  used  about  800,000  tons  of  iron  rails,  1,700,000  fish 
plates,  6,800,000  bolts,  6,126,375  cross-ties,  23,505,500 
spikes. 

Besides  this,  there  was  used  an  incalculable 
amount  of  sawed  lumber  boards  for  building,  tim- 
ber for  trestles,  bridges,  etc.  Estimating  the  cost 
^ of  the  road  with  equipments  complete  by  that  of 
other  first-class  roads  ($105,000),  per  mile  and  we 
1 have  the  sum  of  $186,498,900  as  the  approximate 
cost  of  the  work. 

( We  have  not  had  much  to  say  heretofore  in  re- 
gard to  the 

Importance  of  the  Road — to  the  Ameri- 
can people,  the  Government,  or  the  world  at  large, 
simply  from  the  fact  that  it  seemed  to  us,  anything 
we  might  say  would  be  entirely  superjiuous^  as 
the  incalculable  advantages  to  all  could  admit  of 
no  possible  doubt . We  contented  ourselves  in  an- 
nually calling  attention  to  the  vast  extent  of  rich 
mineral,  agricultural  and  grazing  country  opened 
up — a vast  country  which  had  heretofore  been  con- 
sidered worthless.  We  have  pointed  out,  step  by 
step,  the  most  important  features,  productions, 
and  advantages  of  each  section  traversed  by  the 
road;  stated  that  the  East  and  West  were  now 
connected  by  a short  and  quick  route,  over  which 
the  vast  trade  of  China,  Japan,  and  the  Orient 
could  flow  in  its  transit  eastward;  and,  finally, 
that  its  importance  to  the  miner,  a^iculturallst, 
stock-raiser,  the  Government,  and  the  world  at 
‘ large,  few.,  if  any.,  could  estimate. 

. To  those  who  are  continually  grumbling  about 
' the  Pacific  railroad,  and  forget  the  history  of  the 
past,  professing  to  think  that  these  railroad  com- 
panies are  great  debtors  to  the  Government,  we 
would  most  respectlully  submit 
Facts  in  Brief. — On  the  18th  day  of  March, 
1862,  before  the  charter  for  the  Pacific  railroad 
was  granted,  while  the  country  was  in  the  midst  of 
a civil  war,  at  a time,  too,  when  foreign  war  was 
most  imminent— the  Trent  affair  show^ed  how  im- 
y and  the  country  was  straining  every  nerve 

' for  national  existence,  and  capital, 

cautious.,  Mr.  Campbell,  of  Penn.,  Chairman  of  the 
r House  Committee  on  the  “ Pacific  Railroad  ” 
r (See  Congressional  Globe.,  page  1712,  session  2d, 
" 37th  Congress),  said  : 

“ The  road  is  a necessity  to  the  Government.  It 
is  the  Government  that  is  asking  individual  cap- 
italists to  build  the  road.  Gentlemen  are  under 


the  impression  that  it  is  a very  great  benefit  to 
these  stockholders  to  aid  them  to  an  extent  of 
about  half  the  capital  required.  I beg  leave  to  call 
the  attention  of  gentlemen  to  the  fact  that  it  is  the 
Government  which  is  under  the  necessity  to  con- 
struct the  road.  If  the  capitalists  of  the  country 
are  willing  to  come  forward  and  advance  half  the 
amount  necessary  for  this  great  enterprise,  the 
Government  is  doing  little  in  aiding  the  Company 
to  the  extent  of  the  other  half  by  way  of  a loan.” 

Again,  (page  1,911)—“  It  is  not  supposed  that  in 
the  first  instance  the  Company  will  reimburse  the 
interest  to  the  Government;  it  will  reimburse  it 
in  transportation.”  Mr.  White  said:  “I  under- 
take to  say  that  not  a cent  of  these  advances  will 
ever  be  repaid,  nor  do  I think  it  desirable  that 
they  should  be,  as  this  road  is  to  be  the  highway 
of  the  nation.” 

In  the  Senate  (see  Congressional  Globe.,  page 
2,257,  3d  vol.,  2d  session,  37th  Congress)  Hon. 
Henry  Wilson,  from  Mass.,  said: 

“ I give  no  grudging  vote  in  giving  away  either 
money  or  land.  I would  sink  $100,000,000  to  build 
the  road,  and  do  it  most  cheerfully,  and  think  I 
had  done  a great  thing  for  my  country.  What  are 
$75,000,000  or  $100,000,000  in  opening  a railroad 
across  the  central  regions  of  this  Continent,  that 
shall  connect  the  people  of  the  Atlantic  and  Pa- 
cific, and  bind  us  together?  Nothing.  As  to  the 
lands,  I don’t  grudge  them.” 

Nine  years  later— after  the  road  had  been  com- 
pleted nearly  two  years — Senator  Stewart,  from  the 
Committee  on  the  Pacific  railroad,  said  in  his  re- 
port to  the  U.  S.  Senate: 

“ The  cost  of  the  overland  service  for  the  whole 
period— from  the  acquisition  of  our  Pacific  coast 
possessions  down  to  the  completion  of  the  Pacific 
railroad— was  over  $8,000,000  per  annum,  and  this 
cost  was  constantly  increasing. 

“The  cost,  since  the  completion  of  the  road,  is 
the  annual  interest ’’—[which  includes  all  the 
branches— Ed.]— $3.897,129— to  which  must  be 
added  one-half  the  charges  for  services  performed 
by  the  company,  about  $1,163,138  per  annum, 
making  a total  expenditure  of  about  $5,000,000, 
and  showing  a saving  of  at  least  $3,000,000  per 
annum. 

“ This  calculation  is  upon  the  basis  that  none 
of  the  interest  will  ever  be  repaid  to  the  United 
States,  except  what  is  paid  by  the  services,  and 
that  the  excess  of  interest  advanced  over  freights 
is  a total  loss. 

“ In  this  statement  no  account  is  naade  of  the 
constant  destruction  of  life  and  private  property 
by  Indians ; of  the  large  amounts  of  money  paid 
by  the  Secretary  of  the  Treasury  as  indemnity  for 
damages  by  Indians  to  property  in  the  Govern- 
ment service  on  the  plains,  under  the  act  of  March 
3,  1849;  of  the  increased  mail  facilities,  of  the  pre- 
vention of  Indian  wars,  of  the  increased  value  of 
public  lands,  of  the  development  of  the  coal  and 
iron  mines  of  Wyoming,  and  the  gold  and  silver 
mines  of  Nevada  and  Utah;  of  the  value  of  the 
road  in  a commercial  point  of  view  in  utilizing 
the  interior  of  the  continent,  and  in  facilitating 
trade  and  commerce  with  the  Pacific  coast  and 
Asia;  and,  above  all,  in  cementing  the  Union  and 
furnishing  security  in  the  event  of  foreign  wars.” 

Remember  that  the  Government  by  charter  ex- 
acted that  these  companies  should  complete  their 
line  by  1876 ; but,  by  almost  superhuman  exertion,  it 
was  completed  May  10, 1869— and  the  Government 
has  had  the  benefit  of  the  road  seven  years  before 
the  company  were  compelled  by  law  to  finish  it. 

Now,  if  we  take  no  account  oS.  the  millions  the 
Government  saved  during  the  building  of  the  road 
— and  at  their  own  figures— the  saving  during  the 


CKOFUTt’s  new  OVEREANl)  TOUKIST 

seven  years  previous  to  1876  has  netted  the  Gov- 
ernment $21,000,000,  besides  imying  the  interest 
on  the  whole  amount  of  bonds. 

Again,  if  it  cost  the  Government,  before  the 
completion  of  the  Pacific  railroad,  according  to 
Mr.  Stewart,  “ over  $8,000,000  per  annum,  and 
this  cost  was  constantly  increasing  ” how  fast 
was  this  increase  ? Could  it  be  less  than  six  per 
cent,  per  annum?  Should  the  figures  be  made  on 
the  basis  of  six  per  cent.,  the  Government  must 
have  saved,  previous  to  1876,  in  the  seven  years 
that  the  line  was  completed— before  the  com- 
panies were  compelled  to  complete  it— over  thirty 
MILLIONS  OF  DOLLARS.  This,  too,  after  the  Gov- 
ernment deducts  every  dollar  of  interest  on  their 
own  bonds  issued  to  the  companies  to  aid  the  con- 
struction of  the  road. 

The  above  are  some  few  of  the  advantages  of 
the  Pacific  railroad  to  the  Government,  and,  con- 
sequently, to  the  country  at  large. 

The  States  and  Territories  on  the  line  of  the 
Union  and  Central  Pacific  railroads,  or  immedi- 
ately tributary  to  it,  contained  a population,  m 
1860,  of  only  554,301,  with  232  miles  of  telegraph 
line  and  32  miles  of  railway.  This  same  cope  of 
country  contained  a population,  according  to  the 
census  of  1870,  of  1,011,971,  and  was  encompassed 
by  over  13,000  miles  of  telegraph  lines  and  4,191 
miles  of  railroads,  completed.,  and  many  more  in 
progress,  in  which  was  invested  the  enormous 
capital  of  $363,750,000.  Add  to  the  above  the  im- 
mense amount  of  capital  invested— in  quartz 
mills,  smelting  furnaces,  development  of  mines, 
and  other  resources  of  the  country,  within  the 
same  ten  years— then  should  we  bring  all  the  fig- 
ures down  to  the  present  times,  the  grand  total 
would  be  comparatively  an  astonishing  romance. 

Where,  but  a few  years  ago,  the  buflfalo  and 
other  game  roamed  in  countless  thousands,  and 
the_  savages  skulked  in  the  canyons,  and  secret 
hiding-place^,  where  they  could  pounce  out  un- 
awares upon  the  emigrant;  the  hardy  pioneers 
who  have  made  the  wilderness  if  not  “ to  blossom 
like  the  rose,”  a safe  pathway  for  the  present 
generation,  by  laying  down  their  lives  in  the 
cause  of  advancing  civilization,  now  are  to  be 
seen  hundreds  of  thousands  of  hardy  emigrants, 
with  their  horses,  cattle,  sheep,  and  domestic  ani- 
mals; and  the  savages  are  among  the  things  that 
have  “ moved  on.” 

CMrumblers— The  great  hue  and  cry  that 
are  made  at  times  by  the  people  and  press  of  the 
country,  in  regard  to  “giving  away  the  lands,” 
“squandering  the  public  domain,”  etc.,  which 
censure  the  Government  for  giving,  and  the  rail- 
road company  for  receiving  grants  of  land  in  aid 
of  this  road,  are  very  surprising  in  view  of  the  fore- 
going facts.  We  would  like  to  know  what  the 
lands  on  the  line  of  these  railroads  would  be 
worth  without  the  road? 

Did  the  Government  ever  sell  any?  Could  the 
Government  ever  sell  them?  Never.  It  could 
not  realize  as  much  from  a million  of  acres  as  it 
would  cost  their  surveyors  and  land-agents  for  ci- 
gars while  surveying  and  looking  after  them. 
When  the  Pacific  road  commenced,  there  was  not 
a land  office  in  Colorado,  Wyoming,  Montana, 
Utah,  or  Nevada,  and  only  one  or  two  in  each  of 
the  other  States  or  Territories.  On  the  other 
hand,  by  the  building  of  the  road,  many  millions 
of  dollars  have  already  found  their  way  into  the 
Government  treasury,  and  sXjust  double  the  usual 
p)riceper  acre..  These  grumblers  would  place  the 
Government  in  the  position  of  the  boy  who  wanted 
to  eat  his  apple,  sell  it,  and  then  get  credit  for 
giving  it  away*  0 1 how  generous. 

Xo.  6 Annex.  The  High  School  at 
' Omaha— an  illustration  of  which  we  present 
on  another  page,  stands  on  the  site  of  the  old 
, State  House  of  Nebraska,  and  is  known  as  “Capi- 
tol Hill.”  It  was  completed  in  1876,  and  cost 
$^280,000.  It  is  176  feet  long  and  80  feet  wide. 
The  main  spire  rises  185  feet  from  the  ground. 

The  building  is  constructed  in  the  most  sub- 
stantial manner,  Avhich,  for  convenience,  beauty 
in  design,  and  finish  throughout,  has  but  few  if 
any,  superiors  in  the  western  country.  ’ 

This  High  School  has  a contemporary,  of  the 
same  name,  in  the  city  of  Omaha,  if  a monthly 
newspaper— “ a repository  of  refined  literature  and 
journal  of  education”— could  be  called  such. 

^ “ The  High  School*'  is,  as  the  quotation  above 
indicates,  devoted  to  pure  literature  and  educa- 
tional purposes,  eschewing  sensational  journal- 
ism. Its  essays,  poems,  fashion  notes,  college 
university  and  high  school  reports,  miscellaneous 
correspondence,  and  editorial  reviews  on  all  the 
live  questions  of  the  day,  make  it  very  desirable 
as  a family  journal,  and  specially  interesting  to 
young  ladies  and  gentlemen.  Nothing  unrefined 
is  ever  allowed  to  appear  in  its  columns.  It  is 
printed  on  fine  book  paper;  price,  $1  a year. 

Annex.  First  Steam  Train— 
ihe  Illustration  given  on  page  82  was  drawn  and 
engraved  from  the  original  painting  in  the  posses- 
sion of  the  Connecticut  Historical  Society,  and 
represents  an  Excursion  Train  on  the  Mohawk 
and  Hudson  K.  R.  from  Albany  to  Schenectady, 

N.  Y. , in  1831,  the  first  steam  train  in  America. 
The  engine  was  the  “ The  John  Bull,”  imported 
from  England,  as  well  as  the  engineer,  John 
Hampton,  “ expressly  for  this  road  at  large  ex- 
pense.” Her  cylinder  was  514  inches,  16  inch 
stroke,  wheels  414  feet.  The  boilers  had  thirty 
copper  tubes,  five  feet  long,  four  inches  in  diame- 
ter. Connecting  rods  are  worked  on  double  cranks 
on  front  axle.  Weight  of  engine  comnlete,  4 tons. 
The  tender  represents  the  method  of 'carrying  the 
fuel— wood— in  barrels,  with  a few  sticks  handy 
for  immediate  use.  The  cars  were  regular  stage 
bodies  set  on  car  wheels.  On  this  grand  excur- 
sion trial  trip  were  sixteen  persons,  who  were 
then  thought  venturesome,  many  of  whom  have 
since  filled  important  positions  in  the  councils  of 
the  country.  Mr.  Sidney  Dillon,  President  of  the 
Union  Pacific  R.  R.,  it  seems,  was  one  of  the  ad- 
venturous few.  Here  is  food  for  thought  and  com- 
parison with  the  improvements  of  the  present  day. 

Xo.  8 Annex.  The  Ifadrone  Tree— 
This  peculiar  tree  can  be  seen  in  many  parts 
of  California,  particularly  on  excursions,  des- 
cribed in  Nos.  4 and  5.  It  sheds  its  bark  in  the 
fall  of  the  year,  much  the  same  as  other  trees 
their  leaves.  The  tree  after  shedding  its  bark, 
has  a bright  salmon  color,  then  turns  gradually 
darker,  until,  at  the  shedding  time  the  following 
year,  the  bark  is  quite  dark. 

The  Manzanita,  which  means  in  Spanish  “lit- 
tle apple,”  a small  shrub,  also  sheds  its  bark.  It 
is  found  along  the  foot-hill  ranges  of  California. 
The  root  is  very  tough,  fine  grained  and  polishes 
very  beautifully.  Many  fine  boxes,  and  handles 
for  canes,  umbrellas  and  parasols  are  made  from 
the  root  of  the  Manzanita. 

Xo.  O Annex. — “The  Hand-book  of  Wyoming 
and  Guide  to  the  Black  Hills  and  Big  Horn  Re- 
gions,” by  Robt.  E.  Strahorn,  Esq.,  Cheyenne,  i 
Wyoming,  1877.  This  is  a most  invaluable  work, 
describing  a new  and  intensely  interesting  re- 
gion at  this  time.  Mr.  Strahorn  has  traversed  ! 
the  country  he  describes,  and  in  the  270  pages 
will  be  found— an  unusual  thing  these  days— a vast 

AND  PACIFIC  COAST  GUIDE. 


306 


lount  of  new  and  original  matter.  Price,  in 
1 cloth,  $1.25;  in  paper  covers,  75  cents.  Sold 
the  trains.  . . 

iVolfe’s  Business  Directory  of  all  the  cities, 
wns  and  stations,  on  the  line  of  the  Union  Pa- 
le railroad,  and  on  the  line  of  nearly  every 
ler  railroad  in  Nebraska,  Colorado,  Wyoming 
d Utah,  together  with  a vast  amount  of  miscel- 
leous  information,  collected  and  published  for 
3 first  time.  J.  M.  Wolfe,  Publisher,  Omaha, 
>.b.  Price,  $3.50. 

For  a miscellaneous  collection  of  old  blood- 
rdling  Indian  stories,  stale  jokes,  old  plains 
jrns,  together  with  a compilation  of  facts  from 
bvious  volumes  of  our  books,  buy  our  imitator’s 
ok.  For  an  additional  list  of  books  worth  buy- 
1,  see  Annex  51. 

%o.  lO  Annex.  Jack  Slade— Virginia 
!.le  was  originally  a stage  station  on  the 
I Denver,  Salt  Lake  and  California  road, 
d was  laid  out  and  kept  by  the  notorious 
ck  Slade,  who  was  division  superintend- 
t for  the  old  C.  O.  C.  Stage  Co.,  from  1860 
;1863.  It  was  supposed  that  Slade  was  the  head 
a gang  of  desperadoes  who  infested  the  coun- 
;,  running  off  stock  from  the  emigrants,  and  ap- 
bpriating  the  same.  At  any  rate  he  was  a noted 
sperado,  having,  it  is  said,  killed  thirteen  men. 
le  last  of  his  exploits,  east  of  the  mountains, 

1,8  the  wanton  and  cruel  murder  of  Jules  Burg, 

3 person  who  gave  his  name  to  Julesburg. 
ide  had  a quarrel  with  Jules  in  1861,  which 
ded  in  a shooting  scrape,  wherein  Slade  was 
aten— or,  as  their  class  would  say,  “forced  to 
te  water.”  In  1863  some  of  the  drivers  on  the 
e,  friends  and  employes  of  Slade’s,  decoyed 
les  to  the  Cold  Spring  ranche,  on  the  North 
itte  River,  kept  at  the  time  by  old  Antoine 
innels,  commonly  known  as  “ the  Devil’s  left 
wer.”  He  was  a great  friend  of  Slade’s,  who 
pears  to  have  rightfully  earned  the  title  of 
ight  bower”  to  that  same  warm-natured  indi 
lual.  The  place  where  this  tragedy  occurred  is 
miles  north  of  Cheyenne,  and  25  miles  below 
rt  Laramie,  whither  Slade  repaired  from  Cot- 
iwood  Springs  (opposite  McPherson  station) 
an  extra  coach  as  soon  as  he  was  notified  of  the 
pture  of  his  old  enemy.  He  drove  night  and 
y,  arriving  at  Cold  Spring  ranche  early  in  the 
)rning.  On  alighting  from  the  coach  he  found 
les  tied  to  a post  iu  a coral,  in  such  a position 
to  render  him  perfectly  helpless.  Slade  shot 
n twenty-three  times,  taking  care  not  to  kill 
n,  cursing  all  the  time  in  a most  fearful  man- 
r,  returning  to  the  ranche  for  a “ drink  ” between 
ots.  While  firing  the  first  twenty-two  shots,  he 
luld  tell  Jules  just  where  he  was  going  to  hit 
n,  adding  that  he  did  not  intend  to  kill  him 
mediately;  that  he  intended  to  torture  him  to 
ath.  During  this  brutal  scene,  seven  of  Slade’s 
ends  stood  by  and  witnessed  the  proceedings, 
lable  to  provoke  a cry  of  pain  or  a sign  of  fear 
m the  unfortunate  Jules,  he  thrust  the  pistol 
;o  his  mouth,  and  at  the  twenty-th  rd  shot  blew 
i head  to  pieces.  Slade  then  cut  the  ears  from 
j ? victim,  and  put  them  in  his  pocket. 

!n  the  saloons  of  Denver  City,  and  other  places, 

! would  take  Jules’  ears  out  of  his  pocket,  throw 
pern  down  on  the  bar,  and  openly  boasting  of  the 
j :,  would  demand  the  drinks  on  his  bloody 
i jdges,  which  were  never  refused  him.  Shortly 
! er  this  exploit,  it  became  too  hot  for  him  in 
lorado,  and  he  was  forced  to  flee.  From 
i 3nce  he  went  to  Virginia  City,  Montana,  where 
I continued  to  prey  upon  society.  The  people 
! that  country  had  no  love  or  use  for  his  kind  of 
ople,  and  after  his  conduct  had  become  insup- 1 


portable,  the  Vigilantes  hung  him,  as  he  richly 
deserved. 

His  wife  arrived  at  the  scene  of  execution  just 
in  time  to  behold  his  dead  body.  She  had  ridden 
on  horseback  15  miles  for  the  avowed  purpose  of 
shooting  Slade,  to  save  the  disgrace  of  having 
him  hung,  and  she  arrived  on  the  scene  with  re- 
volver in  hand,  only  a few  minutes  too  late  to  exe- 
cute her  scheme— Jack  Slade,  the  desperado,  was 
dead,  and  he  died— “ with  his  boots  on.” 

^0.11  Annex.  Boulder  Canyon— This 
large  illustration— No.  4— is  noticeably  wild  and  ro- 
mantic, even  in  a country  where  nature  has  been 
so  productive  of  surprising  scenery.  On  either 
side  rise  the  lofty  walls,  from  1,000  to  2,000  feet  in 
height,  their  sides  covered  with  verdure,  save  in 
spots  where  the  rocks  stand  forth  in  naked  bold- 
ness. ThrougU  the  canyon  rushes  a noisy  and 
turbulent  stream,  serving  to  enhance  the  attrac- 
tions and  break  the  solitude. 

Through  its  whole  extent,  a distance  of  fifteen 
miles,  the  points  of  special  interest  vie  with  each 
other  in  attracting  the  attention  of  the  beholder. 
Prominent  among  those  are  the  “ Falls  ”j  and  the 
“ Dome.”  The  former  are  ten  miles  distant  from 
Boulder  City,  (see  page  68)  on  the  North  Fork,  a 
few  hundred  yards  from  its  junction  with  the  Mid- 
dle Boulder,  whence  they  are  reached  by  a roman- 
tic trail  along  the  mountain  side. 

Three  miles  up  the  canyon,  and  nearly  encircled 
by  it,  rises  the  “Dome,”  a solitary  and  majestic 
mass  of  granite,  five  hundred  feet  in  height.  The 
illustration  is  from  a photograph  by  W.  G.  Cham- 
berlain, of  Denver. 

No.  la  Annex.  Hanging  Rock  of  Clear 
Creek  Canyon— as  shown  in  our  large  view. 
No.  3,  is  at  the  point  of  entry  into  one  of  the 
grandest  of  nature’s  amphitheatres.  It  is  an  ex- 
ample of  how  man  can  utilize  the  sublime  scenery 
of  nature,  and  make  even  the  canyons— which, 
struggling,  have  worn  through  almost  impene- 
trable granite— the  medium  of  communication  be- 
tween regions  that  had  once  seemed  almost  im- 
penetrable. 

By  almost  incredible  engineering  skill,  the  bed 
for  the  railroad  was  cut  out  of  the  wall  of  solid 
granite,  beside  which fiows  Clear  Creek;  following 
its  sinuosities,  with  the  creek  thundering  below, 
and  the  walls  of  overhanging  rock  towering  aloft 
to  the  height  of  from  1,500  to  2,000  feet  above  the 
road.  If  you  want  to  see  nature  in  all  her  wild 
sublimity,  and  art  as  the  triumphant  utilizer 
of  her  varied  resources,  you  need  not  visit  the 
Alps  or  Apenines,  but  go  and  see  the  grand  scen- 
ery of  Clear  Creek  Canyon  of  Colorado.  See 
page  72. 

No.  13  Annex.  Snow  Bifficul ties— The 

Central  Pacific  Company  commenced  the  erection 
of  snow-sheds  at  the  same  time  with  their  track- 
laying over  the  Sierra  Nevada  Mountains,  and 
the  result  has  been  their  trains  have  never  been 
delayed  as  often  or  as  long  as  on  many  roads  in 
the  Eastern  States.  The  depths  of  snow-fall  and 
the  necessities  for  snow-sheds  over  the  Sierras 
were  known^  and  could  be  guarded  against,  but 
further  to  the  eastward,  over  ^ the  Rocky  Moun- 
tains, on  the  route  of  the  Union  Pacific,  no  such 
necessity  for  protection  against  snow  was  thought 
to  exist;  hence  the  blockade  of  February  and 
March,  1869. 

The  Union  Pacific  Company  immediately  took— 
as  was  thought  by  everybody  at  the  time— am- 
ple precautions  to  protect  their  cuts  from  the 
drifting  snow,  by  the  erection  of  snow-fences  and 
snow-sheds  at  every  exposed  point,  but  the  win- 
ter of  1871-2  proved  to  be  one  of  unusual— un- 


307 


(^JrOFUTT  S NEW  overland  tourist 


hearcl-of  severity.  The  snow  caused  annoyino- 
delays  to  passenger  and  freight  traffic,  as  well  as 
costing  the  company  a large  amount  of  money  to 
keep  the  road  open.  But  the  lesson  taught  was  a 
good  one  in  enabling  the  company  to  take  such 
were  necessary  to  protect  their  road 
wIapH  continge.  cies  in  the  future, 

byraising  their  track  and 
building  additional  snow-sheds  and  fences. 

Dn  the  Central”  there  are  nearly  50  miles  of 
snow-sheds ; one  continuous  of  28  miles  in  length, 
un  the  ‘ Union  there  are  about  20  miles,  and 
innumerable  snow-fences. 

^o.  14  Annex.  Crardeii  of  the  Qods— 

This  large  illustration,  number  five,  is  a bit  of 


~ xiuuiuur  uve,  IS  a Dlt  OI 

na,ture,  among  the  wonders  of  the  country  where 
to  vilw  distance.  Pike’s  Peak  rises 

this  b^ok  f description  on  page  82  of 

Capitol  of  Cali- 

objects 

which  meets  the  eye  when  approaching  Sac- 
rainento  fi’mn  the  east.  It  is  a conspicuous 
four  occupies  the  center  of 

T V 12th,  and 

i.  grounds  form  three  ter- 
elevated  above  each  other,  and  con- 
nected by  easy  flights  of  steps.  They  are  regularly 
covered  with  a beautiful  sward^ 
closely  shaven  by  the  lawn-cutter.  They  are  in- 
terplanted  with  shrubs  and  evergreen  trees.  The 
outer  border  of  the  lowest  terrace  is  studded  with 
qSTfaif'-  towards  10!h  street,  and  is 

^ length.  Approaching  it  from  this  point 
^ central  building,  from 
rites  the  lolty  dome,  and  having  on  each 
feet  granite  steps,  25 

width,  leads  to  a front  por- 
Eon  l^hrough  which,  and  a large 

diameter  is  found  in  the 
^h’om  this,  in  each  story,  halls,  ele- 
fh?  through  the  front  and  wings, 

the  btate  offices  being  on  either  side.  Five  fen>ale 
Thp^pf  ornament  the  front  above  the  columns. 

standing,  the  remaining  four 
are  in  sitting  postures.  They  represent  war  sci- 
ence agriculture  and  mining.  The  wings  fonn- 
building  are  164  feet  above  the 

flanks  ®cuth 

flanks  cf  the  building  form,  respectively,  the  As- 

8-2^9  ^ chambers,  the  former  being 

82x72,  and  the  latter  72x62.  In  the  rear  center  a 
diameter  forms  the 
ffSultP  ^frn7‘  5^®^  ®tcry  of  25  feet  is  of  white 

neighboring  quarries,  and  is  sur- 
thebodvnffh  ^ of  the  same.  Above  this 

ba?rou  V IS  surrounded  by  an  open 

J’l  ^^^ch  IS  supported  by  24  fluted  Corin- 
f number  of  pilasters. 

oortZfl  tlic  body  of  the  dome  is  sup- 

ters  ^ number  of  ornamental  pilai 

Fmm  thP  metallic  dome, 

^ this  dome  in  turn  rise  12  fluted 
Uo.mthian  pillars,  which  support  the  final  or 

o?CahTora1af^^  surmounted  by  the  statue 

The  whole  interior  is  one  solid  mass  of  iron  and 
masonry.  The  dome  of  The  interior  rotunda  Xch 
iron  ornaments  and  brick  work,  is  exceed- 
panels  and  pedestals  under 
the  windows  are  of  the  beautiful  laurel,  well 
known  m California  for  its  susceptibility  to  re- 

walnut,  with  laurel  panels,  as  are  also  the  sashes 
throughout  the  building.  The  stories  are  respect- 
ively, 21  feet  6 inches,  20  feet  and  18  feet  in  height. 


Itcovers,  with  its  angles,  nearly  60,000  surface  fe 
of  ground,  and  measures  over  1,200  lineal  fa 
Kmnd  m all  the  angles. 

Castellated  Kocks  ^ 
^leeift  liiyer— -As  the  subject  of  the  lar 
lustration  No.  2,  is  described,  on  page  106  oni 
book.  It  will  be  unnecessary  to  repeat  it  here. 

Wo  17  Annex.  Memories  of  Fm 
Brid^er— which  were  handed  to  us  by  on?  i 
our  Iriends,  who  was  with  the  first  party  sc 
staX:  where  the  ffirt  no 

“ ^arly  in  the  winter  of  1857,  on  the  23d  of  N 
vember,  the  winds  were  blowing  cold  and  blea 
over  the  snow-covered  ridges  surrounding  Brid<^< 
-a  town  with  a significant  name,  but  nothing  b* 
a name  exc^ept  an  old  stone  building  with  the  a 
pellation  of  fort  attached  to  it,  buift  by  the  Mo 
naons,  and  surrounded  by  a small  redoubt  nn 
tfmKftzwf  six-pound  mom 

uKiLiT-SSSSSK 

panics  of  the  fourth  artillery,  the  whole  und^ 
command  of  Brigadier-General  Albert  Sidne 
Johnson,  were  on  their  way  to  Salt  Lake  rit-u 
d??rnW?^M  toggles;  the  seventh^ ur 

^orrison;  the  second  dragoons,  un 
Howe;  the  fourth  artillery,  unde 
Major  Williains,  entered  Bridger  on  the  23d  o 
November,  and  established  a camp ; while  a par 
®?PPiy  accompanying  the  expedition 
numbering  at  least  160  wagons,  was  behind,  di. 
laved  b>  the  heavy  snows,  entirely  separated  fron 
command,  and  forced  to  encamp  about  on* 
mile  frcim  each  other  on  the  Big  and  Little  Sand^ 
of  p.C^OTE-— These  streams  are  tributariel 

South  Pass 

about  160  miles  north  of  Bridger.] 

“While  encamped  there,  a party  of  Mormons 
command  of  Orson  Pratt,  the  generalissimc 
of  the  so-called  Mormon  Legion,  assisted  by  on< 
bowler  Wells,  another  formidable  leader  of  th* 
Mormon  church  militant,  dashed  in  and  sur 
rounded  the  trains  in  the  dark  hours  of  the  night 
completely  surprising  the  entire  party,  not  on* 
escaping  to  give  the  alarm.  After  taking  the 
arms  and  equipments  from  the  men,  they  gave 
them  ayery  limited  amount  of  provisions  to  las 
them  through  to  Leavenworth,  Kansas,  allowing 
them  at  the  rate  of  five  head  of  cattle  for  twenT 
men,  and  then  started  them  off  in  the  wilderness 
to  reach  that  place— about  1,000  miles  distant- 
with  no  weapons  other  than  their  pocket  knives 
with  which  to  protect  themselves  against  the  In 
dians,  or  to  procure  game  when  their  limited 
supply  of  provisions  should  become  exhausted. 
After  accomplishing  this  soldierly,  humane  ar^ 
Christian  act,  the  Mormons  set  fire  to  the  trai 
burning  up  everything  which  they  could  not  car 
^way,  and  retreated,  driving  the  stock  with  thei 
wffiile  those  left  to  starve  turned  their  faces  eas 
ward.  There  were  230  souls  in  that  despoil* 
party , only  eight  of  whom  ever  reached  the  bord 
settlements;  the  knife  of  the  savage,  and  starvatio: 
finishing  the  cruel  work  begun  by  tbe  mercif\ 
Mormons.  The  survivors  reached  Leavenwort 
in  June,  1858,  bringing  the  sad  intelligence  of  tl 
late  of  their  comrades. 

“ The  loss  of  these  trains  necessarily  cut  sho: 
the  supplies  in  Bridger.  The  troops  were  put  o 
short  rations,  and,  to  add  to  their  horror,  the  be* 
cattle  accompanying  the  expedition  had  near! 
all  frozen  to  death,  'eaving  but  a few  head  i 
camp. 

“ At  Black  Fork,  the  command  lost  over  300  hea 


AND  PACIFIC  COAST  GUIDE. 


308 


in  one  night ; the  horses  and  mules  dying  in  about 
an  equal  ratio.  Before  reaching  Bridger,  the 
dragoons  were  compelled  to  leave  their  saddles, 
which  they  buried  in  the  snow,  the  horses  being 
unable  to  carry  them.  The  animals  were  com- 
pelled to  subsist  on  sage-brush,  for  two-thirds  < f 
the  time,  and  then,  to  obtain  this  fibrous  shrub, 
they  were  compelled  to  remove  snow  several  feet 
deep . The  men  had  no  other  fuel ; no  water  only 
as  they  melted  snow,  for  three  w'eeks  before 
reaching  Bridger. 

‘'When  the  news  arrived  at  the  camp  that  the 
trains  were  destroyed,  the  troops  immediately  be- 
gan to  forage  for  anything  that  was  palatable,  well 
knowing  that  no  supplies  could  reach  them  be- 
fore late  in  the  spring.  The  snow  was  then,  on  an 
average,  from  six  to  seven  feet  deep,  and  the  game 
had  mostly  left  the  hills.  The  rations  were  imme- 
diately reduced  one-half,  but  even  this  pittance 
fallen  on  the  28th  day  of  February,  when  one-quar- 
ter ration  per  man  was  issued,  being  the  last  of  all 
their  stores.  Two  100-pound  sacks  of  flour  were 
secured  by  Major  E.  R.  S.  Canby,  who  gave  for 
them  $300  in  gold.  They  were  placed  in  his  tent, 
which  stood  where  the  old  flag-stafl*  now  stands, 
and  he  supposed  his  treasure  secure. 

“ But  that  night  a party  of  men  belonging  to 
Company  1, 10th  Infantry,  commanded  by  Lieuten- 
ant Marshall,  made  a coup  d''etat  on  tbe  tent, 
pulling  out  the  pins  and  throwing  the  tent  over 
the  astonished  Major,  but  securing  the  flour,  with 
which  they  escaped  in  the  darkness,  and  suc- 
ceeded in  hiding  it  about  a mile  from  camp,  in 
the  sage-brush.  All  was  confusion.  The  long- 
roll  was  beaten;  the  troops  turned  out  and  an- 
swered to  their  names,  no  one  being  absent.  So 
the  matter  ended  for  the  time.  The  next  day,  at 
guard  mount,  the  Major  commenced  a personal 
search  among  the  tents  for  his  flour.  He  found — 
what?  In  one  tent,  two  men  were  cooking  a piece 
of  mule  meat;  in  another,  he  found  five  men  cut- 
ting up  the  frozen  skin  of  an  ox,  preparatory  to 
making  soup  of  it,  the  only  other  ingredient  to  the 
savory  mess  being  a little  flour.  Overcome  by  the 
sight  of  so  much  wretchedness,  the  Major  sat 
down  and  cried  at  his  inability  to  assist  them.  He 
asked  the  men  if  they  could  obtain  nothing  better 
to  eat,  and  was  answered  in  the  negative. 

“The  severity  of  the  suffering  endured  by  the 
men  nearly  demoralized  them,  still  they  went  out 
foraging,  dragging  their  wasted  forms  through  the 
snow  with  great  difficulty.  Some  would  meet 
with  success  in  their  hunts  at  times ; others  would 
not.  The  mules  and  horses  were  either  killed  and 
eaten  by  the  men,  or  died  of  cold  and  hunger, 
which  left  them  without  the  means  of  supplying 
their  camp  with  wood,  only  as  they  hauled  it 
themselves.  But  the  men  did  not  murmur. 
Twenty  oi  thirty  would  take  a wagon  and  haul 
it  five  or  six  miles  to  the  timber,  and  after  loading 
it  with  wood,  haul  it  to  camp.  Each  regiment 
hauled  its  own  wood,  thus  securing  a daily  supply. 
Some  days  a stray  creature  would  be  slain  by  the 
hunters,  and  there  would  be  rejoicing  in  the  camp 
once  more. 

“ Early  in  the  spring  of  1858  most  of  the  men  de- 
parted for  Salt  Lake  City,  leaving  companies  B, 
D and  K,  of  the  10  Infantry,  and  company  F,  7th 
Infantry.  Tw’enty-seven  men  from  each  company 
were  detailed  lo  go  to  the  pineries,  25  miles  away, 
to  cut  timber  with  which  to  erect  quarters.  On 
arriving  in  the  pinery,  they  found  an  old  saw  mill 
and  race,  which  had  been  used  by  the  Mormons, 
and  everything  convenient  but  the  necessary  ma- 
chinery. Luckily  the  quarter-master’s  department 
had  the  required  machinery,  and  soon  they  had  a 
saw  mill  in  good  running  order.  By  the  15th  of 


of  September,  1858,  the  quarters  were  up  and 
ready  for  use.  They  were  large  enough  for  five 
companies,  including  a chapel,  hospital,  sutler’s 
store,  guard  house,  etc. 

“The  Fourth  of  July,  1858,  was  duly  observed 
and  honored.  The  flag-staff  was  raised  in  the 
center  of  the  parade  ground,  the  flag  hoisted  by 
Major  Canby,  and  prayers  said  by  Major  Gatlin. 

“ On  the  23d  of  September,  1858,  a large  train  of 
supplies  arrived,  causing  great  joy  among  the 
troops.  Two  days  later  three  long  trains  of  sup- 
plies filed  through  the  place  on  the  way  to  Salt 
Lake  City. 

Xo.  18  Annex.  Hanging;  Roclv,  Utali. 
—See  description  on  page  131  of  this  book. 

'Xo.  lO  Annex.  Steamboat  Rock— The 
large  illustration.  No.  6,  is  one  of  many  beautiful 
views  to  be  seen  while  passing  through  Echo  and 
Weber  canyons,  Utah.  From  our  point  of  view 
the  appearance  of  Steamboat  Rock  is  exceedingly 
perfect.  The  lines  (seams  in  the  rocks)  run  grace- 
fully up  lor  300  or  400  feet,  and  in  the  sheen  of  the 
moon  the  sage-brush,  dwarf  cedars,  and  other 
bushes,  growing  along  its  upper  crevices  can 
easily  be  conjectured  into  a load  of  passengers 
worthy  of  the  mighty  vessel ; but  she  stands  in 
stone,  and  the  ship  carpenters— the  elements — 
are  steadily  taking  her  timbers  apart. 

Ko.  20  Annex.  Paddy  Miles’  Ride— 
Mr.  Miles,  or  “ Faddy,”  as  he  was  familiarly 
called,  was  foreman  to  the  Casement  Broth- 
ers, who  laid  the  track  of  the  Union  Pa- 
cific railroad.  One  morning,  Paddy  started 
down  Echo  Canyon  with  a long  train  of  flat  cars, 
sixteen  in  number,  loaded  with  ties  and  iron  rails 
for  the  road  below  Echo  City,  where  were  then, 
as  now,  the  station,  switches,  etc.  The  reader 
will  remember  that  from  the  divide  to  the  mouth 
of  Echo  Canyon  is  heavy  grade,  no  level  place  on 
which  cars  would  slack  their  speed. 

The  train  had  proceeded  but  a few  miles  down 
the  canyon,  going  at  a lively  rate,  when  the  en- 
gineer discovered  that  the  train  had  parted,  and 
four  loaded  cars  had  been  left  behind.  Where  the 
train  parted  the  grade  was  easy,  hence  that  por- 
tion attached  to  the  locomotive  had  gained  about 
half-a-mile  on  the  stray  cars.  But  when  discov- 
ered they  were  on  heavy  grade  and  coming  down 
on  the  train  with  Mghtning  speed.  What  was  to 
be  done?  The  leading  train  could  not  stop  to 
pick  them  up,  for  at  the  rate  of  speed  at  which 
they  were  api  reaching,  a collision  would  shiver 
both  trains,  destroying  them  and  the  lives  of 
those  on  board. 

There  were  two  men,  Dutchmen,  on  the  loose 
cars,  who  might  put  on  the  brakes,  and  stop  the 
runaway.  Tne  whistle  was  sounded,  but  they 
heard  it  not;  they  were  fast  asleep  behind  the  pile 
ol  ties.  On  came  the  cars,  fairly  bounding  from 
the  track  in  their  unguided  speed,  and  away  shot 
the  locomotive  and  train.  Away  they  flew,  on, 
around  curves  and  over  bridges,  past  rocky  points 
and  bold  headlands;  on  with  the  speed  of  the 
wind,  but  no  faster  than  came  the  cars  behind 
them. 

“ Let  on  the  steam,”  cried  Paddy,  and  with  the 
throttle  chock  open,  with  wild,  terrible  screams  of 
the  whistle,  the  locomotive  plunged  through  the 
gorge,  the  mighty  rocks  sending  back  the  screams 
in  a thousand  ringing  echoes. 

“ Off  with  the  ties,”  shouted  Paddy,  once  more, 
as  the  whistle  shouted  its  warning  to  the  station- 
men  ahead  to  keep  the  track  straight  and  free, 
for  there  was  no  time  to  pause — that  terrible 
train  was  close  on  to  them,  and  if  they  collided. 


309 


crofutt’s  new  overland  tourist 


the  canyon  would  have  a fearful  item  auded  to 
its  history.  On  went  the  train  past  the  side- 
tracks, the  almost  frantic  men  throwing  oft'  the 
ties,  in  hopes  that  some  of  them  would  remain  on 
the  track,  throw  off  the  runaways,  and  thus  save 
the  forward  train.  Down  the  gorge  they  plunged, 
the  terror  keeping  close  by  them,  leaping  alontr— 
almost  ftying,  said  one,  who  told  us  the  tale — 
while  the  locomotive  strained  every  iron  nerve  to 
gain  on  its  dreaded  follower.  Again  the  wild 
scream  of  the  locomotive  of  “switches  open,” 
rung  out  on  the  air  and  was  heard  and  understood 
in  Echo  City.  The  trouble  was  surmised,  not 
known,  but  the  switches  were  ready,  and  if  the 
leading  train  had  but  the  distance  it  could  pass 
on  and  the  following  cars  be  switched  off  the 
track,  and  allowed  to  spend  their  force  against 
the  mountain  side.  On  shot  the  locomotive,  like 
an  arrow  from  the  bow,  the  men  throwing  over 
the  ties  until  the  train  was  well-nigh  unloaded, 
when  just  as  they  were  close  to  the  curve  by 
which  the  train  arrives  at  the  station,  they  saw 
the  dreaded  train  strike  a tie,  or  something 
equally  of  service,  and  with  a desperate  plunee, 
rush  down  the  embankment,  into  the  little  valley 
and  creek  below.  “Down  brakes,”  screamed  the 
engine,  and  in  a moment  more  the  cars  entered 
Echo  City,  and  were  quietly  waiting  on  the  side- 
track for  further  developments.  The  excited 
crowd,  alarmed  by  the  repeated  whistli  g,  was 
soon  informed  of  the  cause  of  these  screams,  and 
immediately  went  up  the  track  to  the  scene  of  the 
disaster,  to  bring  in  the  dead  bodies  of  the  un- 
fortunate Dutchmen,  who  were  surely  crushed 
and  torn  in  pieces.  When  they  arrived  atth^ 
scene  of  the  disaster,  they  found  the  poor  unfor- 
tunates sitting  on  the  bank,  smoliir>g  their  pipes 
and  unharmed,  having  just  woke  up.  The  first 
they  knew  of  the  trouble  was  when  they  were 
pitched  away  from  the  broken  cars  on  tne  soft 
greensward.  The  debris  of  car  frames,  wheels, 
and  ties,  gave  them  the  first  intimation  they  had 
received  that  something  was  the  matter. 

:Sfo.  21  Annex.  <^reat  Salt  Ijake— Be- 
hind the  station  at  Promontory  the  hills  rise  into 
the  dignity  of  mountains.  To  the  top  of  the  left 
hand  point  we  strolled  one  bright,  spring  morn- 
ing. After  an  hour’s  toilsome  walking  through 
sage-brush  and  bunch-grass,  then  among  sage- 
brush and  rocks,  until  we  had  attained  a height  to 
which  that  persistent  shrub  could  not  attain,  then 
among  rocks,  stunted  cedars,  tiny,  delicate  flowers 
and  blooming  mosses,  until  we  stood  on  the  sum- 
mit of  the  peak,  on  a narrow  ridge  of  granite,  not 
over  four  feet  wide,  and  there,  almost  at  our  feet 
(so  steep  was  the  mountain)  lay  the  Great  Salt 
Lake,  spread  out  like  a vast  mirror  before  us,  its 
placid  bosom  glittering  in  the  morning  sun,  like  a 
field  of  burnished  silver.  Mile  after  mile  it 
stretched  away,  placid  and  motionless,  as  though 
no  life  had  ever  caused  a vibration  of  its  currents, 
or  given  one  restless  impulse  to  its  briny  bosom. 

By  the  aid  of  the  glass.  Church  or  Antelope 
and  other  mountain  islands  could  be  distinctly 
seen,  rearing  their  towering  crests  far  above  the 
silver  border  at  their  base,  their  sloping  sides 
enrobed  in  the  greenest  of  all  green  coverings. 
Standing  there  as  lone  sentinels  in  the  midst  of 
this  waste  of  waters,  they  possess  a wondrous 
beauty  as  a recompense  for  their  utter  isolation. 

Away  beyond  these  islands  rise  the  white- 
crested  Wasatch  MountaluM,  and  we  believe  that 
we  can  pick  out  the  cuj  ve  in  their  brown  sides 
where  nestles  Salt  Lake  Cny,  secure  and  beautiful 
in  her  mountain  fastness.  Far  away  to  the 
southward  the  range  blends  with  the  sky  and  wa- 
ter, and  the  dim,  indistinct  lines  of  green,  brown 


and  silver  blend  in  one,  while  above  them  the 
clear  blue  of  the  mighty  dome  seems  to  float  and 
quiver  for  a space,  and  then  sweeps  down  to  ioin 
them,  blending  with  them  in  one  waving  mass  ol 
vanishing  color,  which  slowly  recedes  in  the  dim 
distance,  until  the  eye  can  follow  its  course  no 
farther.  Turn  now  to  the  left,  and  there,  sweep- 
ing up  far  behind  Promontory  Point,  is  the  north- 
western arm  of  the  lake — Monument  Bay.  That 
long,  green  line  is  Monument  Point,  throwing  its 
long  ridge  far  out  into  the  bosom  of  the  lake,  as 
though  it  would  span  the  waters  with  a carpet  of 
green.  Away  to  the  west  Pilot  Knob  rears  its 
crest  of  rocks  from  out  the  center  of  the  great 
American  Desert.  Do  not  look  longer  in  that 
direction,  all  is  desolation;  only  a barren  plain 
and  hard,  gray  rocks,  and  glinting  beds  of  alkali 
meet  the  vision. 

One  more  view  to  the  north,  one  look  at  the 
lines  of  green  hills  and  grt^ener  slopes  which 
sweep  down  toward  the  sandy,  sage-clad  plateau  on 
which  stands  the  station ; another  and  last  look  at 
the  placid  lake,  and  now,  cooled  and  refreshed  by 
the  mountain  breeze,  we  pluck  a tiny  moss  bell 
from  the  cleft  in  the  rock,  and  then  descend  the 
rugged  mountain.  We  have  seen  Salt  Lake  from 
the  most  commanding  point  of  view  from  the 
north,  and  now  we  are  better  able  to  understand 
Its  shape  and  comprehend  its  dimensions,  which 
are  126  miles  in  length  by  45  in  width.  The  prin- 
cipal islands  are  Antelope  (15  miles  long),  Sheep’s 
Hot,  Stansbury,  Carrington  and  Egg.  They  pos- 
sess many  charming  summer  retreats,  many  nat 

Ural  bathing  places,  where  the  gravelly  bays  in- 
trude among  the  grass-covered  points  and  hil- 
locks. The  water  is  so  buoyant  that  it  is  difficult 
lor  the  bather  to  sink  therein. 

The  lake  has  no  outlet  for  the  waters  C'mtinually 
pouring  into  it  from  Bear,  Jordan,  Weber  and 
other  rivers.  Evaporation  absorbs  the  vast  vol- 
ume, but  it  is  a noticeable  fact,  and  one  worthy 
of  consideration,  that  since  the  settlements  have 
been  made  in  the  Territory,  and  the  bosom  of  the 
earth  has  been  turned  with  the  plow,  rendering 
the  barren  waste  blooming  and  productive,  that 
the  waters  of  the  lake  have  risen  steadily,  and  are 
now  12  feet  higher  than  they  were  20  ryears  ago. 
Fences,  which  once  enclosed  fine  meadow  land, 
are  now  just  peering  above  the  flood,  marking  its 
steady  encroachment  on  the  fertile  bottom  lands. 
The  grand  old  mountains  bear  unmistakable  evi- 
dence of  the  water’s  presence  far  up  their  rocky 
sides.  At  what  time  the  floods  reached  that  alti- 
tude, or  whether  those  mountains  were  lifted  from 
the  present  level  of  the  lake  by  volcanic  action, 
and  carried  these  water  lines  with  them,  are  ques- 
tions no  one  can  answer.  Savans  may  give 
learned  theories  regarding  things  they  know  noth- 
ing of ; they  may  demonstrate  that  Salt  Lake  is 
In^ld  in  its  present  position  by  immutable  laws, 
but  they  cannot  destroy  the  ocular  evidence  that 
it  is  rising,  slowly  and  steadily,  and  has  been  dur- 
ing the  Jast  20  years. 

No.  22  Annex.  For  further  information  re- 
garding Salt  Lake,  see  from  pages  121  to  140. 

No.  Annex.  California— was  first  dis- 


— was  nrsi  ais- 

covered  in  1542,  by  a Portuguese,  Juan  R.  Cabrillo, 
while  in  the  Spanish  service.  It  was  held 
by  the  Spanish  then  by  the  Mexican  Govern- 
ment, until  1848,  when  by  treaty  it  became 
a pori  ion  of  the  United  States.  It  was  admitted 
as  a State  in  1850.  It  covers  an  area  of  160,000 
square  miles,  divided  about  equally  into  mining, 
agricultural,  timber,  and  grazing  lands.  All 
kinds  of  grain,  P uit,  and  vegetables,  grow  in  pro- 
fusion. The  grape  culture  has  occupied  the  atten- 
I tion  of  many  of  her  people,  who  find  that  they  can 


AND  PACIFIC  COAST  GUIDE. 


310 


produce  wine  surpassed  by  none  in  this  country, 
and  few  in  the  old.  Large  quantities  are  used 
throughout  the  United  States,  with  a yearly  in- 
creased shipment  to  European  markets.  Her 
manufactures  are  of  a high  order,  and  attract 
favorable  notice  at  home  and  abroad.  The  spirit 
of  enterprise  manifested  by  her  citizens  has  de- 
served and  won  success.  Under  the  liberal,  far- 
seeing  policy  of  the  younger  class  of  capitalists 
and  merchants,  who  appeared  about  the  time  of 
the  inauguration  of  the  great  railroad,  a new 
order  of  things  arose.  Men  began  to  regard  this 
I land  as  their  future  homo,  who,  before  this  era, 

. cared  to  stay  no  longer  than  while  they  obtained 
’ a fortune,  which  they  expected  to  get  in  a few 
months  at  farthest. 

From  this  time,  money  expanded,  trade,  agricul- 
i ture,  mining  and  manufactures  began  to  assume 
i their  proper  stations.  The  old,  narrow,  ruinous 
no-policy,  which  marked  the  era  of  the  old  capit- 
I alist,  passed  away,  and  a brighter  era  opened  to 
I the  people  of  the  Pacific  slope. 

The  Sierra  ]Rlevada  Iflountains—are 
about  500  miles  long,  and  from  60  to  100  miles  in 
width,  their  general  direction  northwest  and 
southeast.  The  height  of  the  principal  peaks  are 
— Mt.  Whitney,  15,088  feet;  Williams,  14,500; 
Shasta,  14,444;  Tyndall,  14,386;  Raweah,  14,000; 
Gardner,  14,000;  King,  14,000;  Brewer,  13,886: 
Dana,  13,227;  Lyell,  13,217;  Castle  Peak,  13,000; 
Cathedral  Peak,  11,000;  Lassen’s,  10,578  feet. 

The  Coast  Range— is  the  range  of  moun- 
tains nearest  the  Pacific  Ocean,  extending  the 
whole  length  of  the  State,  broken  at  intervals 
with  numerous  small  rivers,  and  narrow,  fertile 
valleys.  The  principal  peaks  are— Mt.  Ballery, 
6,357  feet  high;  Pierce,  6,000;  Hamilton,  4,450; 
Diablo,  3,876;  Banch,  3,790;  Chonal,  3,530;  St. 
Helena,  3,700;  Tamalpais,  2,604  feet.  Mount  St. 
Bernardino,  away  to  the  southward,  in  the  range 
of  that  name,  is  8,.370  feet  in  height. 

The  Rainy  Season— on  the  Pacific  coast  is 
between  the  first  of  November  and  the  first  of 
May,  the  rain  falling  principally  in  the  night, 
while  the  days  are  mostly  clear  and  pleasant.  At 
Christmas,  the  whole  country  is  covered  with 
green  grass ; in  January  with  a carpet  of  flowers ; 
and  in  April  and  May  with  ripening  fields  of 
grain.  During  15  years  of  observation  the  average 
has  been  220  clear,  85  cloudy,  and  60  rainy  days 
each  year.  The  nights  are  cool  the  year  round, 
requiring  a coverlid  during  the  hottest  and  dryest 
season. 

The  State  Agricultural  Society  of 
California- hold  annual  fairs  in  September. 
They  are  largely  attended— visitors  and  exhibitors 
coming  from  all  parts  of  the  State,  Nevada  and 
Oregon. 

Statistical  Items— We  compiled  the  fol- 
lowing from  the  report  of  the  San  Francisco 
Board  of  Trade,  for  1877,  as  interesting  items  : 

Wheat  export,  200,000  tons,  value,  $11,750,000; 
Silver  export  to  China,  $10,500,000;  mineral  pro- 
duct of  the  Pacific  Coast  mines  for  1877  : 


Gold ..$46,129,541 

Silver 47,205,913 

Lead 5,086,300 


$98,421,754 

Export  of  Flour,  485,000  barrels ; value,  $2,790,000. 
Export  of  barley,  166,500  centals ; imports  of 
coffee,  16,300,000  pounds ; imports  of  tea,  5,026,000 
pounds ; imports  of  rice,  42,000,000  pounds ; im- 
ports of  sugar,  68,000,000  pounds;  imports  of  coal, 

525,000  tons[135,000  from  England  and  120,000  from 
Australia].  Coal  produced  in  California,  100,000 


tons;  export  of  salmon,  156,000  packages,  value, 
$270,000;  hides,  74,000;  leather,  3,270  packages, 
value,  $172,000;  wines,  925,000  gallons,  value,  $500,- 
000;  receipts  of  quicksilver,  70,000  flasks;  butter, 

16.500.000  pounds;  receipts  of  cheese,  4,500,000 
pounds;  clip  of  wool,  155,760  bags,  weight  62,- 

225.000  pounds— the  export  amounted  to  52,800.000 
pounds.  Gross  exports  by  sea  for  the  year  1877, 
$29,500,000. 

IVo.  24:  Annex.  Hauling  Ores  in 
Hicles-On  a recent  visit  to  Little  Cottonwood 
Canyon,  Utah,  we  saw  a very  novel  contrivance 
being  used  by  the  Emma  Mining  Company,  whose 
mine  is  situated  about  1,000 feet  above  the  railroad 
depot,  on  the  side  of  the  mountains.  The  snow 
was  several  feet  deep,  and  the  ore  was  being  hauled 
down  to  the  depot  in  drags.  The  drags  consisted 
of  a green  ox  hide.  The  ore  is  first  sewed  up  in 
sacks  of  100  lbs.  each,  then  placed  on  the  hide, 
which  has  loops  around  the  edge,  and  when  15  of 
these  sacks  are  in  position,  a rope  is  run  through 
the  loops  in  the  hide  the  edges  drawn  close  togeth- 
er, then  a mule  or  horse  is  hitched  to  the  head 
portion  of  the  hide — with  the  hair  outwards — and 
a brake  to  the  tail.  The  brake  is  of  iron,  shaped 
like  a horse-shoe,  with  teeth  that  drag  through 
the  snow,  holding  back. 

In  coming  down  the  hill  the  driver  stands  on 
the  hide,  but  when  it  becomes  necessary  on  ac- 
count of  heavy  grade  to  “■  down  brakes^'''  the 
driver  changes  his  position  and  stands  on  the 
horseshoe  instead  of  the  hide. 

JSo.  25  Annex.  Rrigham  Young  — 
Brigham  Young,  President  and  Prophet  of  the 
Mormon  “ Church  of  the  Latter  Day  Saints,”  was 
born  in  Whittingham,  Windham  county,  Vermont, 
on  the  first  day  of  June,  1801.  His  father,  John 
Young,  was  a Revolutionary  veteran,  and  served 
three  campaigns  under  Washington.  The  family 
consisted  of  six  daughters  and  five  sons,  of  whom 
Brigham  was  the  fourth.  In  early  life  he  was 
connected  with  the  Methodists,  and  at  this  time 
he  followed  the  occupation  of  carpenter  and 
joiner,  painter  and  glazier. 

Young  was  ^rst  married  in  1824,  and  in  the 
spring  of  1830  first  saw  the  “Book  of  Mormon,” 
which  was  in  the  possession  of  one  of  his  brothers, 
and  made  a great  impression  upon  him,  and  of 
which  he  afterwards  became  so  firm  a believer 
and  prominent  supporter.  In  April,  1832,  he  was 
baptized  a member  of  the  “Church  of  Jesus 
Christ  of  Latter  Day  Saints.” 

Before  becoming  a Mormon,  Brigham  Young 
made  himself  thoroughly  acquainted  with  their 
principles,  and  then  clung  to  his  belief  in  the  teach- 
ings of  the  “Book  of  Mormon”  with  great  tenacity 
to  the  close  of  his  eventful  life.  It  was  character- 
istic of  the  man  that  he  was  deliberate  in  arriving 
at  an  opinion,  but  when  it  was  once  formed  he 
was  steadfast  to  his  convictions.  While  Joseph 
Smith  was  alive,  by  whom  he  was  baptized,  he 
was  his  friend  and  firm  supporter,  and  from  the 
time  when  the  church  of  his  choice  was  composed 
of  but  a persecuted  and  insipient  handful,  fleeing 
from  place  to  place,  until  the  day  of  his  death,  his 
was  the  master-spirit  that  controlled  all  their  de- 
liberations and  ruled  in  all  their  prominent  coun- 
cils. Brigham  Young  was  the  great  organizer  and 
master  spirit  that  enabled  them,  by  practical  coun- 
cils and  directions,  to  cross  the  wide  and  unknown 
desert  plains  of  America  in  the  year  1847,  when  pos- 
sessed of  the  scantiest  resources,  and  establish 
among  the  far-off  mountains  of  Utah  Territory,  a 
prosperous  and  thriving  community. 

He  was  equal  to  the  grand  occasion  of  his  life 
in  rescuing  the  church  from  disorganization  at 


311 


ceoputt’s  new  oveeland  toueist 


Nauvoo,  m 1844,  where  he  stepped  to  the  front  and 
took  the  helm.  The  good  of  the  Church  was  al- 
ways his  first  and  foremost  consideration;  he 
laid  plans  for  its  prosperity,  and  in  their  success- 
mi  execution,  he  made  vast  sums  of  money  for 
himself  Like  all  new  organizations,  especially 
those  of  an  ecclesiastical  character,  there  were 
many  schisms^  and  rivals  to  be  put  down,  and  in 
doing  away  with  these,  he  was  frequently  forced 
to  take  measures  that  drew  down  upon  his  head 
the  odiuna  of  the  outside  world.  With  the  same 
opportunities  for  becoming  a tyrant  and  despot, 
with  a large.  Ignorant  element  among  his  sublects, 

few  men  with  the  same  tenacity  of  will,  and  force 
of  chpacter,  would  have  been  less  of  an  oppres- 
sor  than  the  late  Prophet  priest  and  Kevelator  of 
the  Mormon  Church. 

taken  a prominent  part  in 
all  public  improvements,  in  every  plan  calculated 
to  facilitate  communication  between  the  Territory 
and  the  Eastern  States;  materially  assisting  in 
forming  several  express  companies  and  stage 
lines.  He  built  several  hundred  miles  of  the 
Western  Union  Telegraph,  graded  150  miles  of  the 
Union  Pacific  railroad,  and  has  ever  oflfered  his  as- 
sistance to  every  enterprise  of  the  kind  which  had 
a material  bearing  on  the  interests  of  Utah 

He  diedregreted  and  respected  by  his  followers, 
A ’"g®’  Wednesday, 
Aug.  29,  1877,  )n  the  seventy-sixth  year  of  his  age. 

funeral  took  place  on  Sunday,  September  2, 
mr,  amid  a great  pupular  demonstration,  the  body 
being  viewed  hy  over  20,000  people. 

The  following  characteristic  document,  prepared 
by  the  diseased  about  four  years  previous  to  his 
death,  contains  his  instructions  for  the  conduct  of 
the  mneral  obsequies.  The  paper  was  read  by 
Ueorge  Q,  Cannon  before  the  assembled  multitude 
on  the  day  of  the  funeral,  and  the  instructions 
therein  ^contained  were  carried  out  to  the  letter. 

1,  Hrigham  Young,  wish  my  funeral  services  to 
be  conducted  after  the  following  manner: 

^ breathe  my  last  I wish  my  friends  to  put 
my  body  in  as  clean  and  wholesome  state  as  can 
conveniently  be  done,  and  preserve  the  same  for 
one,  two,  three  or  four  days,  or  as  long  as  my  body 
can  be  preseryed  in  a good  condition.  I want  my 
coffin  made  of  plump  inch  redwood  boards,  not 
scrimped  in  length,  but  two  inches  longer  than  I 
would  measure,  and  from  two  to  three  inches 
wider  than  18  commonly  made  for  a person  of  my 
breadth  and  size,  and  deep  enough  to  place  me  on  a 
littie  comfortable  cotton  bed  with  a good  suitable 
pillowlor  size  and  quality;  my  body  dressed  in 
my  Temple  cl^hing  and  laid  nicely  into  my  cof- 
fin,  and  the  coffin  to  haye  the  appearance  that  if  I 
wanted  to  turn  a little  to  the  right  or  to  the  left  I 
should  haye  plenty  of  room  to  do  so  ; the  lid  can 
be  made  crowning. 

At  my  interment  I wish  all  of  my  family  present 
that  can  be  conyeniently,  and  the  male  members 
wear  no  crape  on  their  hats  or  their  coats;  the  fe- 
males to  buy  no  black  bonnets,  nor  black  dresses, 
nor  black  yells ; but  if  they  have  them,  they  are  at 
liberty  to  wear  them.  The  services  may  be  per- 
mitted, as  singing  and  a prayer  offered,  and  if  any 
01  my  friends  wish  to  say  a few  words,  and  really 
desire,  do  so;  and  when  they  have  closed  their 
remains  on  a bier  and  repair  to 
the  little  burying  ground  which  I have  reserved  on 
my  lot  east  of  the  White  House  on  the  hill,  and  in 
the  southeast  corner  ot  this  lot  have  a vault  built 
ot  mason  work,  large  enough  to  receive  my  coffin, 
and  that  may  be  placed  in  a box,  if  they  choose, 
made  of  the  same  material  as  the  coffin  - redwood. 

1 hen  place  fiat  rocks  over  the  vault,  sufficient! v 
large  to  cover  it,  that  the  earth  may  be  placed  over 


of  to  cover  it  until  the  walls 

of  the  little  cemetery  are  reared,  which  will  leave 
®®^thea8t  corner.  This  vault  ought  to 
temporary 

Ttierelet  my  earthly  house  or  tabernacle 
® a good  sleep  until  the  morn- 

ng  oi  the  first  resurrection;  no  crying,  nor  mourn- 

faHy^'andta yo“d  faUh.^ 

f?  V®  ‘■"“eral,  providing 

^ die  anywffiere  in  the  mountains,  I 
desire  the  above  directions  respecting  my  place 
hi observed ; but  if  1 should  live  to  go 
back  with  the  Church,  to  Jackson  County,  I wish 
to  be  buried  there. 

T.  A A.  r.  , BRIGHAM  YOUNG, 

President  of  the  Church  of  Jesus  Christ  of  Latter- 
day  Saints. 

Sunday,  November  9th,  1873. 

Salt  Lake  City,  Utah  Ter. 

Brigham  Young  will  ever  stand  prominently  for- 
ward on  the  pages  of  the  world’s  history,  as  one  of 
the  most  remarkable  men  of  the  nineteenth  cen- 
tury, respected  by  his  followers  and  admired  by 
the  world  at  large,  whose  vices  and  virtues  will  eo 
hand  in  hand  adown  the  stream  of  time  ^ 


**  Annex  National  Park-The  ex 
plorations  of  Dr.  Hayden,  United  States  Geol 
ogist,  have  demonstrated  that  this,  out  own  coun 
try,  contains  natural  wonders,  which,  in  extent 
grandeur,  and  wondrous  beauty,  far  surpass  those 
of  any  other  portion  of  the  known  world.  The 
result  has  been,  a bill  has  passed  Congress  set 
ting  apart  a tract  of  country  55  by  65  miles  in  ex 
tent  as  a great  National  Park,  or  mammotli 
pleasure-ground,  for  the  benefit  and  enjoymeni 
ot  the  people.  The  entire  area  within  the  limits 
of  the  reservation  is  over  6,000  feet  in  altitude 
Almost  in  the  centre  of  this  tract  is  located  the 
1 ellowstone  Lake,  a body  of  water  15  by  22  miles 
in  extent,  with  an  elevation  of  7,427  feet.  The 
ranges  of  mountains  that  hem  the  numerous  val- 
height  of  from  10,- 
^ow  covered  with  perpetual 

This  country  presents  the  most  wonderful  vol- 
canic  appearance  of  any  portion  of  this  conti- 
nent. The  great  number  of  hot  springs  and  the 
geysers  represent  the  last  stages— the  vent  or  es- 
cape  pipes— of  these  remarkable  volcanic  mani- 
festations of  the  internal  forces . All  these  springs 
are  adorned  with  decorations  more  beautiful  than 
human  mind  ever  conceived,  and  which  have  re- 
quired  thousands  of  years  for  the  cunning  hand 
of  nature  to  form.  The  most  remarkable  of  these 
geysers  throws  a column  of  boiling  hot  water  15 
leet  in  diameter  to  a measured  altitude  of  150 
feet.  This  display  is  continued  for  hours  to- 
gether, and  so  immense  is  the  quantity  of  water 
discharged,  that  during  the  eruption,  the  volume 
of  water  in  the  river  is  doubled.  Another  throws 
a column  of  hot  water  200  feet  in  height,  and  over  a 
toot  in  diameter.  It  is  said  the  geysers  of  Iceland, 
which  have  been  the  objects  of  interest  for  scien- 
tists and  travelers  of  the  entire  world  for  years, 
insignificance  in  comparison  with 
me  Hot  Springs  of  the  Yellowstone  and  Eire-hole 
Basins. 

The  most  ivonderful  story  about  this  remark- 
able region  is  told  by  Langford,  one  of  the  first 
discoverers.  He  says:  “At  a certain  point  on  the 
Yellowstone  River,  the  water  runs  down  a steep 
and  perfect  grade  over  a surface  of  slate-rock, 
which  has  become  so  smooth  from  the  velocity 
ot  the  rushing  torrent,  that,  at  a distance  of 
twenty  miles,  the becomes  so  great  that 


I 

■j 

i 


AND  PACIFIC  COAST  GUIDE.  312 


the  water  is  boiliug  hot.”  We  do  not  vouch  ior 
the  truth  of  this  story,  and  we  are  not  certain  that 
Langford  will  swear  to  it. 

The  mountain  rim  of  the  Yellowstone  Lake 
rises  from  1,500  to  4,000  feet  above  its  surface,  and, 
except  in  two  directions,  is  unbroken.  To  the 
west  and  southwest  are  breaks  in  the  chain, 
through  one  of  which  appear  the  outlines  of  a 
conspicuous  conical  peak,  10,500  feet  in  height. 
In  the  mountain  system  which  surrounds  the  lake 
are  born  the  tributaries,  almost  the  principal 
sources,  of  three  of  the  largest  rivers  on  the  con- 
tinent. Four  of  the  most  important  tributaries 
of  the  Missouri— namely,  the  Big  Horn,  the  Yel- 
lowstone, the  Madison  and  the  Gallatin,  have 
their  springs  here.  Flowing  first  north,  then 
east,  they  strike  the  Missouri,  which,  in  its  turn, 
flows  southeasterly  to  the  Mississippi  Valley, 
where  its  waters  are  blended  with  the  stately 
stream  that  empties  its  tides  at  least  3,500  miles 
below  into  the  Gulf  of  Mexico.  The  Snake  River, 
whose  sources  are  actually  interlaced  with  those 
of  the  Madison  and  the  Yellowstone,  turns  west- 
ward, and  traverses  nearly  a thousand  miles  of 
territory  before  it  joins  the  Columbia  on  its  way 
to  the  Pacific  Ocean.  Again,  the  Green  River, 
rising  but  a few  miles  from  the  sources  of  the 
others,  seeks  the  Colorado  of  the  South,  which, 
after  iunumerable  windings  through  deserts,  and 
a roaring  passage  of  hundreds  of  miles  in  the 
abysses  of  canyons  surpassing  even  those  of  the 
Yellowstone  in  grandeur,  depth,  and  gloom, 
reaches  the  gulf  of  California.  Penetrating  to  the 
lofty  recesses  where  these  springs  rise,  the  ex- 
plorer stands,  as  it  were,  astride  of  the  grandest 
water-shed  in  the  world.  A pebble  dropped  into 
one  spring  touches  a water-nerve  of  the  Pacific ; a 
pebble  cast  into  another  touches  a similar  nerve 
of  the  Atlantic  Ocean.  It  is  a thought  to  cause 
the  wings  of  the  spirit  of  a man  in  such  a place 
to  expand  like  an  eagle’s.  (See  large  illustrations. 
Nos.  35  and  36.) 

No.  ay  Annex.  Ocean  Steam  ships.— 

The  steamers  of  the  Occidental  and  Oriental  Line, 
between  San  Francisco  and  Yokohama,  leave  San 
Francisco  about  the  15th  of  each  month.  The 
passage  rates  are: 


Payable  in  U.  S. 
Gold  Coin. 

*First  Class 
or  Cabin. 

European 

Steerage. 

1 Chinese 

1 Steerage. 

! Distance  fr’m 

1 SanFranci’o. 

San  Francisco  to 

Yokohama,  Japan, 
Hiogo,  ‘‘ 

$250  00 

$ 85  00 

$53  00 

Miles. 

4,764 

270  00 

100  00 

5,104 

Nagasaki, 

290  00 

100  00 

62  00 

5,444 

Shanghae,  China, 

300  00 

100  00 

65  00 

5,964 

Hongkong, 

300  00 

100  00 

53  00 

6,384 

Calcutta,  India, 

450  00 

9,385 

Children  under  12  years  of  age,  one-half  rates ; 
under  five  years,  one-quarter  rates:  under  one  year, 
free. 


Family  Servants^  (European)  eating  and  sleep- 
ing in  European  steerage,  one-half  cabin  rates ; 
eating  in  cabin  and  sleeping  in  European  steer- 
age, three-quarters  cabin  rates;  eating  and  sleep- 
ing in  cabin,  full  cabin  rates. 

250  lbs.  baggage  allowed  each  adult,  first-class 
or  cabin  passenger;  150  lbs.  each,  European  steer- 
age; 100  lbs.  each,  Chinese  steerage:  proportion- 
ate to  children. 


Round  Trip  Tickets,  good  for  twelve 
months,  will  be  sold  at  a reduction  of  12^  per 
cent,  from  regular  rates. 

An  allowance  of  20  per  cent,  on  return  passage 
will  be  made  to  passengers  who  paid  full  fare  to 
Japan  or  China,  or  rice  rersa^  re-embarking  within 
six  months  from  date  of  landing,  and  an  allowance 
of  10  percent,  to  those  who  return  within  twelve 
months. 

Families  whose  fare  amounts  to  pour  full 
PASSAGES  will  be  allowed  f per  cent,  reduction. 

Exclusive  use  of  staterooms  can  be  secured  by 
the  payment  of  half-rate  for  extra  births. 

The  Pacific  Mail  steamships  leave  San  Fran- 
cisco about  the  1st  of  every  month,  for  Yokohama 
and  Honkong,  and  for  Sidney  and  Aukland  via 
Honolulu,  at  about  the  same  time— 1st  of  each 
month — and  for  New  York,  via  Panama,  about  the 
1st  and  15th  of  each  month.  For  Victoria,  B.  C.. 
Port  Townsend,  Seattle  and  Tacoma,  the  10th, 
20th  and  30th  of  each  month. 

The  Oregon  Steamship  Co.  send  steamers  to 
Portland  from  San  Francisco  every  five  days. 

Other  steamers  for  up  and  down  the  coast,  leave 
at  changeable  intervals ; about  weekly,  however. 

No.  38  Annex.  Col.  Hudiiut’s  Survey. 
—On  the  west  side  of  Promontory  Point,  the  line 
known  as  Colonel  Hudnut’s  survey  of  the  Idaho 
and  Oregon  branch  of  the  U.  P.  R.  R.,  passes  north 
to  Pilot  Springs ; thence  down  Clear  Creek  or  Raft 
River  to  Snake  River,  and  along  the  southern 
bank  of  this  stream  to  Old’s  Ferry;  thence  across 
the  country  to  Umatilla,  on  the  Columbia  River. 
For  the  entire  distance  between  Promontory  and 
Raft  River,  the  country  is  uninviting,  though  not 
barren.  From  thence  the  route  passes  through  a 
country  abounding  in  fertile  valleys  and  bold 
mountains — the  latter  well-wooded.  There  is 
plenty  of  wood  and  other  materials  for  building 
the  proposed  road  along  the  whole  length  of  the 
line.  To  the  mouth  of  Raft  River  from  Promon- 
tory is  about  100  miles.  The  scenery  along  the 
line  is  varied,  from  smiling,  fertile  valleys  to  lofty, 
snow-clad  mountains.  We  will  speak  only  of  the 
general  characteristics  of  the  route  and  of  one  or 
two  points  of  remarkable  interest.  The  main 
feature  of  the  Snake  or  Shoshone  River  is  its 
majestic  cataracts.  The  stream,  sometimes  called 
Lewis  River,  is  the  South  Fork  of  the  Columbia, 
and  was  discovered  by  Lewis  and  Clark,  who  ven- 
tured westward  of  the  Rocky  Mountains  in  1804. 
It  rises  in  the  Rocky  Mountains,  near  Fremont’s 
Peak,  in  the  Wind  River  Range,  which  divides 
Idaho  and  Wyoming  Territories.  The  head  waters 
of  the  stream  are  Gros  Ventre,  John  Craig’s  and 
Salt  Creeks  on  the  south,  with  the  outlets  of 
Lyon’s  and  Barret’s  lakes  on  the  north.  The  gen- 
eral course  of  the  river  from  its  source  to  Big 
Bend  is  northwest.  At  this  point  Henry’s  Fork, 
a large  stream  flowing  from  the  the  north,  empties 
its  waters  into  the  main  river.  Thence  the  course 
is  southwesterly  until  the  first  falls  are  reached— 
about  400  miles  from  the  river’s  source.  These 
are  called  the  American  Falls  and  are  very  fine, 
but  do  not  present  so  sublime  an  appearance  as 
will  be  seen  about  100  miles  further  down  the 
river,  where  the  waters  leave  the  elevated  plains  of 
Idaho  by  a series  of  cascades,  known  as  the  Sho- 
shone Falls,  from  30  to  60  feet  high,  closfflig  the 
scene  in  one  grand  leap  of  210  feet  perpendicular. 
The  width  of  the  river  at  the  point  of  taking  the 
last  leap  is  about  700  feet.  The  form  of  the  falls  is 
circular— some  what  like  those  of  the  Niagara.  Be- 
fore the  river  reaches  the  cascades  it  runs  between 
lofty  walls,  which  close  in  around  it  until  but  a 
narrow  gorge  is  left  for  the  passage  of  the  water 


313 


CKOFUTT  S NEW  OVERLAND  TOURIST 


1,000  feot  below  the  tope  of  the  bluffs . The  most 
complete  view  of  the  falls  is  obtained  from  Look- 
out 1 o^t,  a narrow  spit  of  rocks  which  proiects 
from  the  main  bluffs  a short  distance  down  the 

Eagle 

Rock  nses  before  us  in  the  midst  of  the  rapids,  and 
almost  overhanging  the  falls,  fully  200  feet  high  • 
Its  pillar-like  top  surmounted  by  an  eagle’s  nest* 
monarch  of  the  air  has 
center  of  the  river  are 
iseyeral  islands  covered  with  cedar,  the  largest  one 
being  called  Ballard>  Island.  Two  rocWoiSs® 
one  on  either  side  ol  the  falls,  are  called  the  Two 
point  of  the  volume  of 
a^a^a'  will  compare  favorably  with  Ni- 

P'l’om  this  point  the  river  runs  nearly  west  until 
It  reaches  War  Lagle  Mountains,  about  80J  miles 
from  Its  source,  when  it  turns  due  north,  follow- 
ing that  course  for  150  miles,  then  bending  again 
tothewest  It  unites  with  Clark’s  River,  forming 
the  Columbia.  After  leaving  the  last  falls  the 
country  IS  less  broken,  and  the  work  of  buildine 
the  road  would  be  comparatively  light  for  most  of 


Xo.JiO  Annex.  Western  Stock  Raising. 


Durbin,  Orr&  Co.— Cattle  branded  VB;  also 
Some  of  them  and  horses  the  same. 

Post-office,  Cheyenne,  W.  T.  Range,  Bear  Creek. 


Creighton  & Co.— Horses  branded  quarter  cir- 
cleopen  block,  on  left  shoulder.  Also,  partcat- 
tle  branded  half-circle  on  shoulder. 

Postoffice  Pine  Bluffs,  W.  T.  Range,  Horse  and 
Pumpkin  creeks. 

Stock  raising  is  an  important  industry.  We  have 
often  expressed  our  belief  that,  ultimately,  it  would 
be  iound  there  was  not  one  foot  of  valueless  land  on 
the  Ime  of  the  Pacific  railroad.  The  Bitter  Creek 
country,  previous  to  1868,  for  80  miles  was  univer- 
sally  admitted  by  all  who  knew  anything  about  that 
section  of  country,  to  be  utterly  valueless . Coal, 
in  immense  quantities,  was  discovered  all  along 
the  creek— great  veins— and  it  is  now  the  most 


valuable  section  of  the  Union  Pacific  railroad 
Humboldt  and  Nevada  Desert  wer, 
Dnn  IV’  valueless;  now,  see  what  irdla 

portion  of  it,  where  the  peopk 
have  had  the  enterprise  to  adopt  a system  of  i?ri 
§7/ thp’  1^^  Humboldt  Station.  We  contend  thal 
on  the  line  of  this  road  are  valuable 
some  as  mineral,  some  as  agricultural,  but  thf 
greater  portion  is  the  finest  grazing  land  in  thf 

oughly  understood,  as  in  1868  there  would  not  ex 
thousand  head  of  cattle  on  the  whole 
line  of  the  Pacific  railroad,  across  the  continent* 
wow  there  are  over  700,000  head  of  cattle  ?o  mr 
bead  of  horses,  and  full  450,000  head  of  sheep  ’ 
ihe  range  is  enormous,  taking  in  broad  Sains 
grass-covered  mountains,  and  thousands  of  as 
beautiful  little  foot-hills  and  mountain  vaiJevs  as 
there  are  In  the  world.  This  section  commences 
about  250  miles  west  of  the  Missouri  River,  and 
extends  to  the  eastern  base  of  the  Sierra  Nevada 
Mountains,  all  of  which,  with  only  a few  miles  in- 
tervening, IS  the  stock-raiser’s  pafadise.  The  ab- 
sence of  water  is  the  only  drawback  in  this  inter- 
will  be  sunk  and 

that  obstacle  overcome.  The  valley  bluffs,  Igw 
hills  and  mountain  sides  of  this  whole  section  ai^ 
covered  with  a luxuriant  growth  of  gramma  m 
bunch  grass,  one  of  the  most  nutritious  grasses 
grown,  together  with  white  sage  and  greas^wood 
upon  which  all  kinds  of  stock  thrive  all  the  sea- 
son, without  care,  excepting  what  is  necessarv  fn 
prevent  them  from  straying  beyond  reach.  Old 
work-oxen  that  had  traveled  2,500  miles  ahead  of 
the  freight  wagon  during  the  season,  have  been 
lurned  out  to  winter  by  their  owners,  and  by  the 
following  July  they  were  “rolling  fat”— fit  for 
beef.  We  know  this  to  be  a fact  from  actui  ex- 
perience. 

This  country  is  the  great  pasture  land  of  the 
continent.  There  is  room  for  millions  of  cattle  in 
this  unsettled  country,  and  then  have  grazing  land 
Union^  to  spare  to  feed  half  the  stock  in  the 

In  the  foot-hills  and  mountainous  portion  of 
this  great  grazing  range,  and  along  the  line  of  the 
great  water  courses,  there  is  no  trouble  from  lack 
of  water,  for  the  mountain  valleys  are  each  sup- 
plied with  creeks  and  rivers.  Springs  abound  in 
various  sections,  so  that  no  very  large  tract  of 
land  IS  devoid  of  natural  watering  places  The 
grass  grows  from  nine  to  twelve  inches  high  and 
IS  peculiarly  nutritious.  It  is  always  green 
near  the  roots,  summer  and  winter.  During  the 
summer  the  dry  atmosphere  cures  the  standing 
grass  as  effectually  as  though  cut  and  prepared  for 
hay.  ^ The  nutritive  qualities  of  the  grass  remain 
uninjured,  and  stock  thrive  equally  well  on  the 
dry  feed.  In  the  winter  what  snow  falls  is  very 
dry,  unlike  that  which  falls  in  more  humid  cli- 
mates. It  may  cover  the  grass  to  the  depth  of 
lew  inches,  but  the  cattle  readily  remove  it,  reach 
ing  the  grass  without  trouble. 

Again,  the  snow  does  not  stick  to  the  sides  o 
the  cattle  and  melt  there,  chilling  them  through 
but  its  dryness  causes  it  to  roll  from  their  backs 
leaving  their  hair  dry.  The  cost  of  keeping  stocl 
in  this  country  is  just  what  it  will  cost  to  emplo^ 
herders — no  more.  The  contrast  between  raisin) 
stock  here  and  in  the  East  must  be  evident 
Again,  the  stocking  of  this  country  with  sheep,  if 
adding  an  untold  wealth  to  the  country.  Th( 
mountain  streams  afford  ample  water  power  foi 
manufactories,  and  wool  enough  could  be  growr 
here  with  which  to  clothe  all  the  people  of  th( 
Union,  when  manufactured  into  cloth.  With  the 
railroad  to  transport  the  cattle  and  sheep  to  the 


AND  PACIFIC  COAST  GUIDE. 


314 


Eastern  and  Western  markets,  immense  fortunes 
are  now  being  made,  and  the  business  is  compara- 
tively new — in  its  infancy.  ^ , 

No  drouths  which  have  been  experienced  in 
this  great  rauge  have  ever  seriously  atfected  the 
pasturage,  owing  to  the  peculiar  qualities  of  the 
grasses  indigenous  to  the  country.  So  with 
storms : it  has  seldom  happened  that  any  storms 
are  experienced  which  cause  loss,  and  none  ever 
need  to,  and  none  ever  do,  when  the  stock  is  prop- 
erly attended  to  and  herded. 

On  these  ranges  it  is  common  for  stock  of  many 
owners  to  range  together,  and  a system  of  brands 
has  been  adopted,  and  recorded  with  the  county 
clerk  in  the  section  of  country  where  the  herds 
belong.  The  recording  of  the  brands  is  a protec- 
tion against  theft  and  loss  by  straying,  as  each 
cattle  man  knows  the  brands  in  use  in  his  range, 
and  each  endeavors  to  protect  the  other’s  interest. 

The  illustrations  that  we  present,  show  two  of 
the  brands  in  use,  and  the  method  adopted  by  all 
cattle  men  to  make  known  their  brand,  and  the 
particular  range,  or  home  range  of  the  cattle. 
[These  are  actual  names,  brands,  range  and  ad- 
dresses.] ^ 

The  Annual  “ Eound-Up.”— One  of  the 
most  important  and  interesting  features  of  the 
stock-raising  business  is  the  cattle  ‘■‘round-up.’ 
In  the  “ free  and  easy  ” manner  of  raising  cattle 
on  the  broad,  western  plain,  where  the  owner  may 
not  see  one-half  of  his  herd  for  six  months  at  a 
time,  it  may  be  imagined  that  the  restless  Texans 
scatter  almost  from  Dan  to  Beersheba,  and  that 
extra  effort  is  necessary  when  they  are  finally 
collected  by  the  regular  spring  “■  round  up.” 
Companies  of  herders  are  organized  to  scour  cer- 
tain sections  of  country,  and  bring  every  animal  to 
I a grand  focal  point,  no  matter  who  that  animal 
may  belong  to  or  what  its  condition  may  be.  The 
I old-fashioned  “husking  bee,”  “■  ’possum  hunt  ” or 
“training  day”  is  vastly  outdoue  by  this  wild 
revelry  of  the  herders.  Mounted  upon  their  fleet- 
est ponies,  the  cow-boys  scatter  out  in  all  direc- 
tions, gather  in  “ everything  that  wears  horns,” 

1 and  at  night  may  have  ttie  property  of  half-a-dozen 
owners  in  one  immense,  excited  herd.  Then, 

: while  a cordon  of  herders  hold  the  animals  to- 
gether, rei^resentatives  of  the  different  “brands” 

1 ride  into  the  herd,  single  out  their  animals,  one 
1 by  one,  and  drive  them  off  to  be  branded  or  mar- 
! keted.  Moving  along,  day  after  day,  the  scene  is 
! repeated,  until  the  whole  plains  country  has  been 
i visited,  and  every  breeder  has  had  an  opportunity 
to  take  an  inventory  of  his  stock.  Of  course  the 
participants  “ camp  out  ” wagons,  following  the 
herd,  with  blankets  and  provisions,  the  “ round- 
up ” season,  being  one  of  mirth  and  frolic,  as  well 
as  of  work,  from  beginning  to  end. 

^o.  30  Annex.  The  Ctreat  Cave— of 

' Eastern  Nevada,  lies  about  forty-five  miles  to  the 
* southwest  of  Eureka.  It  is  situated  in  one  of  the 
low  foot-hills  of  the  Shell  Creek  Range,  which 
fc.  extends  for  about  two  miles  into  a branch  of 
‘ Steptoe  Valley.  The  ridge  is  low,  not  over  60  or 
' 65  feet  high,  and  presents  no  indications  which 

! would  lead  one  to  suspect  that  it  guarded  the  en- 
:*  trance  to  an  immense  cavern.  The  entrance 
' to  the  cave  would  hardly  be  noticed  by 
^ travelers,  it  being  very  low  and  partly  obscured. 

4 A rock  archway,  small  and  dark,  admits  the  ex- 
plorer, who  must  pass  along  a low  passage  for 
; about  20  feet,  when  it  gradually  widens  out,  with 
a corresponding  elevation  of  roof.  Many  of  the 
^ chambers  discovered  are  of  great  size ; one,  called 
' the  “ dancing  hall,”  being  about  seventy  by  ninety 
^ feet.  The  roof  is  about  forty  feet  from  the  floor, 
which  is  covered  with  fine  gray  sand.  Opening 


into  this  chamber  are  several  smaller  ones,  and 
near  by,  a clear,  cold  spring  of  excellent  water 
gushes  forth  from  the  rock.  Further  on  are  more 
chambers,  the  walls  of  which  are  covered  with 
stalactites  of  varied  styles  of  beauty.  Stalagmites 
are  found  on  the  floors  in  great  numbers.  It  is 
not  known  how  far  this  cave  extends,  but  it  has 
been  explored  over  4,000  feet,  when  a deep  chasm 
prevented  further  exploration. 

Indian  Legend— The  Indians  in  this  vicinity 
have  a curious  fear  of  this  place,  and  cannot  be 
tempted  to  venture  any  distance  within  its 
haunted  recesses.  They  have  a legend  that  “ heap” 
Indians  went  in  once  for  a long  way  and  none  ever 
returned.  But  one  who  ventured  in  many  moons 
ago,  was  lucky  enough  to  escape,  with  the  loss 
of  those  who  accompanied  him,  and  he  is  now 
styled  “Cave  Indian.”  According  to  the  legend, 
he  ventured  in  with  some  of  his  tribe  and  traveled 
until  he  came  to  a beautiful  stream  of  water, 
where  dwelt  a great  many  Indians,  who  had  small 
ponies  and  beautiful  squaws.  Though  urged  to 
stay  with  his  people,  “Cave”  preferred  to  return 
to  sunlight.  Watching  his  chances,  when  all 
were  asleep,  he  stole  away,  and,  after  great  suffer- 
ing, succeeded  in  reaching  the  mouth  of  the  cave, 
but  his  people  still  live  in  the  bowels  of  the  earth. 

The  Indians  thoroughly  believe  the  story,  and 
will  not  venture  within  the  darkness.  Another 
story  is  current  among  the  people  who  live  near 
by,  which  is,  that  the  Mormons  were  once  posses- 
sors of  this  cave,  and  at  the  time  when  they  had 
the  rupture  with  the  United  States  Government, 
used  it  as  a hiding  place  for  the  plate  and  treas- 
ures of  the  Church  and  the  valuables  of  the  Mor- 
mon elders.  The  existence  of  the  cave  was  not 
known  to  the  whites,  unless  the  Mormons  knew 
of  it,  until  1866. 

A Little  History— In  the  latter  part  of  the 
summer  of  1858,  a party  of  prospectors  from  Mari- 
posa, in  California,  crossed  the  Sierra  Nevada 
Mountains  ria  Yo-Semite  to  Mono  Lake,  then  in 
Utah,  but  now  in  that  part  of  the  country  set  off  to 
form  Nevada.  For  three  years  the  party  worked 
placer  mines  and  other  gold  along  the  various 
canyons  and  gulches  extending  eastward  from  the 
Sierras,  which  led  others  to  continue  prospecting 
further  north,  and  who  discovered  Comstock 
Ledge.  Other  prospectors  followed,  and  the  dis- 
covery of  rich  veins  in  Lander,  Esmeralda,  Nye 
and  Humboldt  counties,  and  in  the  adjoining 
Territory  of  Idaho,  was  the  result.  The  great 
“unexplored  desert,”  on  the  map,  was  avoided 
until  1865  and  1866,  when  parties  began  to  branch 
out  and  discover  the  rich  argentiferous  quartz 
and  fine  timber  land,  extending  along  a series  of 
parallel  valleys,  from  the  Humboldt  to  the  Colo- 
rado River.  Several  New  York  companies  became 
interested  in  these  discoveries,  and  erected  a 20- 
stamp  mill  at  Newark,  22  miles  north  of  where 
Treasure  City  now  stands,  to  work  veins  in  the 
Diamond  Range.  Across  the  valley,  opposite  N ew- 
ark.  White  Pine  Mountain  rises  10,285  feet.  Here 
the  “ Monte  Christo  ” mill  was  erected,  at  which 
a Shoshone  Indian  came  one  day  with  a specimen 
of  better  “nappias”  than  had  yet  been  discov- 
ered, and,  by  his  guidance,  the  rich  mines  dis- 
covered at  Treasure  Hill  and  the  “ Hidden  Treas- 
ure ” mine  were  located  and  recorded  on  the  14th 
of  September,  1867.  But,  aside  from  the  produc- 
tion of  mineral,  along  these  mountain  ranges, 
another  source  of  wealth  exists  in  the  valleys  ex- 
tending through  Nevada  and  Utah . We  refer  to 
that  branch  of  business  which  has  been  gradually 
increasing — one  which  will  bring  a large  revenue 
to  the  settlers  along  these  valleys  in  stock-rais- 
ing. Bunch  grass  grows  in  abundance,  and  cattle 


315 


CKOFUTT  S NEW  OVEKLAND  TOURIST 


are  easily  wintered  and  fattened,  finding  a ready 
market  in  the  mining  districts  and  westward  ' 
Sacramento  and  San  Francisco. 

No.  31  Annex,  l^evarta  *^alls-In  orderto 
form  a proper  idea  of  the  superb  picture,  No.  13 
of  the  large  series,  it  will  be  necessary  to  pre- 
mise that  the  Yo-Semite  Valley  is  an  immeW 
gorge,  in  the  western  slope  of  the  Sierra  Nevada 
JMoiintains,  about  seven  miles  in  length,  from 
east  to  west,  and  from  one-eighth  of  a mile  to  two 
miles  in  width,  from  north  to  south.  The  walls 
siUTOunding  this  mighty  chasm  are  nearly  perpen- 
dicular, and  from  2,000  to  6,000  feet  high.  The 
various  streams  that  find  their  way  into  the  Valiev 
flow  over  this  tremendous  wall  on  entering  At 
the  eastern  end  of  the  valley  proper,  it  divides 
mto  two  canyons,  projecting  still  eastward,  but 
diverging  as  they  mount  the  Sierras.  It  is  through 
t^he  south  one  of  these  canyons,  that  the  main 
branch  of  the  Mercede  River  flows,  and  on  enter- 
ing the  valley,  it  makes  two  leaps.  The  lower 
one,  or  Vernal  Fall,  of  450  feet  in  height,  100  feet 
wide,  and  from  three  to  four  feet  deep,  where  it 
leaps  the  square-edged  barrier.  Continuing  up 
the  canyon  for  a mile,  above  the  Vernal  Fall, 
amid  the  wildest  scenery  imaginable,  and  we 
reach  the  Great  Nevada  Fall,  the  subject  of  our 
picture.  The  canyon  narrows,  in  a wedge-like 
iorm,  to  quite  a point,  and  just  at  the  right  of 
this  vortex  is  the  fall.  It  is  900  feet  high,  75  feet 
wide  at  the  brink,  and  130  feet  below.  Regarded 
as  to  its  height,  volume,  purity  of  water,  and 
general  surroundings,  it  is  one  of  the  grandest 
objects  m the  world.  The  spectator  facing  the 
east  will  observe  on  his  left  the  “Cap  of  Lib- 
erty ’ lifting  its  rounded  summit  of  smooth  and 
weather-polished  granite,  2,000  above  the  Fall 
5^00  feet  above  the  valley  below,  or  9,000  feet 
above  the  sea.  To  paint  in  words,  in  the  space 
allowed  us,  the  beauties  of  the  fall,  the  bolder 
scenery,  the  foliage,  mosses  and  ferns,  always 
moist  from  the  spray,  and  brilliant  green  in  sum- 
mer, the  roar  and  rush  of  the  fast-flowing  river, 
the  majestic  grandeur  of  the  rocky  frame-work, 
which  towers  above  and  around  it,  is  simply  an 
impossibility;  we  shall  not  try,  but  refer  the 
reader’s  imagination  and  judgment  with  these 
statistics  to  the  beautiful  picture,  which  has 
been  accurately  engraved  from  a faithful  photo- 
graph. (See  Annex  No.  10.) 

No.  3a  Annex.  Pioneer  Mail  Enter- 
prises—Crossing  the  Sierras  on  Snow-Skates 
—The  rapid  settlement  of  the  fertile  valleys 
lying  at  the  eastern  base  of  the  High  Sierras  of 
California,  created  a want  for  mail  facilities  in  ad- 
vance of  regular  methods.  It  is  well  known,  that 
previous  to  the  winter  of  1854,  the  fearless  settlers 
of  this  isolated  inland  world  were  shut  out  from 
comnaunion  with  the  great  throbbing  heart  of  civ- 
ilization on  the  outside  for  three  or  four  months 
of  every  year,  by  that  almost  inaccessible  and 
snow-clad  range.  Those  whose  temerity  let 
events  bid  defiance  to  this  battle-ground  of  the 
storms,  and  sought  to  scale  its  snowy  ramparts, 
too  frequently  became  snow-blind,  or  foot-frozen ; 
or,  still  more  frequently,  laydown  to  that  sleep 
which  knows  no  waking— their  only  mantle  the 
fast-falling  snow. 

In  this  emergency,  one  brave  heart,  at  least, 
was  found  to  dare  the  perilous  task  of  carrying 
the  United  States  Mail  to  those  enterprising  pio- 
neers. It  was  Mr.  John  A.  Thompson,  a Norwe- 
gian. Early  education  and  habit  had  made  him 
an  adept  in  the  use  of  the  snow  skate.  Without 
hesitation,  he  made  a contract  with  T.  J.  Matte- 
son,  of  Murphy’s  Camp,  Calaveras  county,  to  con- 
tinue postal  service  in  winter,  as  well  as  in  sum- 


Calaveras  grove  o 
big  trees  (the  only  grove  then  known,  to  Carson 

d^pth  of  regard  to  the 

Our  illustration  introduces  our  hero  in  vronrin 
persona.  It  will  be  seen  at  a glance  that  the 
snow-skate  is  totally  unlike  the  Indian,  or  Cana-^ 
dian  snow-shoe— the  latter  being  adapted,  mainly 
to  a light,  loose  snow,  and  level  country;  and  the 
to  comp^act  masses,  and  mountainous  dis 
mets.  I he  shoe,  moreover,  is  of  slow  and  la- 
borious use;  whereas  the  “skate”  is  of  exceed 


, Yvj_icica»  lilt/  SKate  IS  Ol  CXCGGq 

ingly  rapid  and  exhilarating  adaptability— espe- 
cially^ on  down  grades,  when  its  speed'^is  fre- 


.7  wjucxi  1LS3  speea  is  fre 

quently  equal  to  the  ordinary  locomotive  Th( 
motion  is  a slide— not  a step.  The  pole  in  thi 
mail  carrier’s  hand  acts  as  a brake  on  dowi 
grades,  and  as  a propeller  up  hill. 

11  where  snow  oftei 

falls  to  the  depth  of  ten  or  twelve  feet,  the  snow 
skate  IS  a great  favorite,  becoming  a source  o 
pleasant  recreation,  on  moon-lit  evenings —visitf 
of  from  ten  to  fifteen  miles  being  made  after  tea 
and  returning  the  same  evening.  Here,  too 
snow-skating  forms  one  of  the  most  popular  o 
pastimes— racing.  A belt,  studded  and  set  witt 
silver,  becomes  the  prize  of  the  successful  racer 
Sometimes  young  ladies  will  challenge  gentle 
men  to  a race  for  a pocket  handkerchief  or  a paii 
of  gloves--which,  of  course,  is  always  accepted 
-ihe  accidents  which  sometimes  occur  throw  nr 
damper  on  the  sport. 

On  the  second  trip  of  Mr.  Thompson,  when 
nearly  on  the  summit  of  the  Sierra,  he  sought  the 
protection  of  a friendly  cabin  for  the  night;  when 
upon  entering  it,  he  saw  the  almost  lifeless  form  ol 
a man  with  his  feet  frozen,  and  without  any  other 
covering  than  the  clothes  he  wore.  His  boots 
were  frozen  fast  to  his  feet.  He  had  been  lying 
in  this  deplorable  condition,  alone,  for  twelve 
days,  with  nothing  to  save  life  except  raw  flour. 
Although  death  would  soon  have  lifted  from  him 
his  burden  of  suflering,  he  continued  hopeful  to 
the  last,  that  a kind  Providence  would  send  the 
daring  mail  carrier,  as  an  angel  of  mercy,  to  de- 
liver him.  Tears  started  to  his  eyes  when  he  told 
of  the  joy  of  the  snow-bound  and  helpless,  as  he 
heard  the  mulfled,  though  welcome,  sound  of 
snow-skates.  As  soon  as  all  necessary  assistance 
could  be  rendered,  and  the  man  made  as  comfort- 
able as  possible,  Mr.  Thompson,  without  resting 
his  weary  limbs,  started  out  upon  the  snowy 
waste  in  search  of  relief.  He  did  not  search  in 
vain.  The  simple  recital  of  his  story  was  enough 
to  thrill  his  listeners,  and  to  enlist  all  the  volun- 
teers necessary  to  bring  the  suflerer  into  safety. 
All^  desirable  supplies,  and  a light  sled  upon 
which  to  haul  him,  were  soon  provided;  and, 
although  heavy  snow-storms  impeded  their  way, 
they  soon  became  his  deliverers. 

No.  33  Annex.  The  I>oiiiier  Party— 
(Illustration  page  105).  Around  this  beautiful 
sheet  of  water — nestled  so  closely  in  the  embrace 
of  these  mighty  mountains,  smiling  and  joyous 
in  its  matchless  beauty,  as  though  no  dark  sorrow 
had  ever  occurred  on  its  shores,  or  its  clear  waters 
reflected  back  the  wan  and  haggard  face  of  starva- 
tion— is  clustered  the  saddest  of  memories — a 
memory  perpetuated  by  the  name  of  the  lake. 

In  the  fall  of  M6,  a party  of  emigrants,  mostly 
from  Illinois,  arrived  at  Truckee  River,  worn  and 
wasted  from  their  long  and  arduous  journey. 
Among  that  party  was  a Mr.  Donner,  who,  with 
his  family,  were  seeking  the  rich  bottom  lands  of 
the  California  rivers,  the  fame  of  which  had 
reached  them  in  their  Eastern  home.  At  that 
time  a few  hardy  pioneers  had  settled  near  Sut- 


AND  PACIFIC  COAST  GUIDE. 


318 


and  by  day  or  by  night,  in  starlight  or  darkness ; 
whether  sun-dried  or  soaked,  snow-covered  or 
frozen;  among  friends  or  through  foes;  be  he 
lonely  or  merry — onward  he  hastened,  until,  at  the 
thrice-welcomed  station,  he  leaped  from  his  saddle 
to  rest.  Here  another  was  ready,  whose  horse, 
like  himself,  had  been  waiting,  perhaps,  without 
shelter;  and  with  a cheery  ‘‘  Good  night,  boys,”  he 
galloped  ofi’,  and  was  soon  lost  in  the  distance. 
He  rides  on  alone,  over  prairies  and  mountains  ; 
whether  up  hill  or  down;  on  rough  ground  or 
smooth,  until  he  descries  in  the  distance  the  goal 
f of  his  hopes,  and  the  station  is  reached. 

To  realize  even  partially  the  dangers  of  this  ser- 
vice, we  need  only  glance  at  the  newspapers  of  the 
day,  where  such  items  as  the  following  were 
chronicled:  “ The  pony  expressman  has  just  re- 
turned from  Cold  Springs— driven  back  by  the  In- 
dians.” “ The  men  at  Dry  Creek  Station  have  all 
been  killed,  and  it  is  thought  the  Robert’s  Creek 
Station  has  been  destroyed^  Eight  animals  were 
stolen  from  Cold  Springs  Monday.”  ” Bartholo- 
mew Riley  died  last  night  irom  a wound  received 
at  the  Cold  Springs  Station,  on  the  16th  of  May. 
Just  arrived  from  the  Indian  battle-ground,  at 
• Pyramid  Lake,  tired  as  he  was,  he  volunteered  to 
ride  to  the  next  change,  then,  a distance  of 
eighty-five  miles,  where  he  received  the  wound  of 
which  he  died.”  “ Six  Pike’s  Peakers  found  the 
body  of  the  station-keeper  horribly  mutilated,  and 
all  the  animals  missing,  at  Simpson’s  Park.” 

These  few  incidents  will  readily  illustrate  the 
stuflf  of  which  the  pony  expressmen  and  station 
keepers  were  made:  as  well  as  the  dangers  and 
privations  to  which  they  were  exposed.  To  tell  of 
the  losses  in  men  from  the  Indians,  and  of  horses 
and  other  property,  both  from  volunteers  as  well 
' as  Indians,  with  the  many  thrilling  adventures  of 
those  who  participated  in  ihis  daring  enterprise, 
however  interesting,  would  make  too  long  a recital 
for  these  pages. 

4^5  Annex.  Sierra  I^evada  lloiin- 
tains— The  large  illustration.  No.  14,  of  the 
: Sierras,  is  from  a photograph,  and  afi'ords  a beau- 
■ tiful  view  of  the  highest  point  of  the  Sierra  Ne- 
: vada  Mountains,  passed  over  by  the  Central  Pa- 
cific railroad.  There  are  to  be  seen  a succession  of 
[ tunnels  and  snow-sheds,  which  extend  without  a 
break  for  28  miles;  below  is  the  “-Gem  of  the 
Sierras,”  Donner  Lake.  (For  description,  see 
1 pages  180,  181, 182  and  183  of  this  book.) 

No.  43  Annex.  Mount  Shasta— as  shown 
' in  No.  15,  of  our  large  views,  is  a prominent  fea- 
ture in  the  landscape  of  the  Sacramento  Valley, 

' at  the  head  of  which  it  is  located. 

The  view  is  looking  to  the  northeast.  In  the  fore- 
ground is  the  broad  valley  of  the  Sacramento, 
then  come  towering  forest  trees,  massive  rocks, 
and  a variety  of  foliage,  upon  which  alternnte 
, patches  ol  shade  and  sunlight  are  thrown  with 
' striking  effect.  Above  all,  towering  high  n mi d- 
air,  Mount  Shasta  springs,  in  a series  of  graceful 
, curves,  far  up  into  an  almost  uncljuded  heaven, 
its  sides  and  summits  enfolded  in  the  eternal 
. snows.  The  contrast  between  the  verdure-clad 
4 valley  and  the  cold,  wintry  peaks  of  old  Shasta, 
j king  of  mountains,  is  a chief  interest  in  the  pic- 
ture, reminding  the  spectator  of  some  of  the  most 
; striking  effects  of  Alpine  scenery.  Mt.  Shasta  is 
14,440  feet  high.  (See  further  description  on 
jj!  page  196.) 

- No.  44  Annex.  Woodward  ^irardens— 

‘ These  gardens  were  laid  out  in  1860  by  R.  B 
^ Woodward.  Esq.,  a gentleman  of  enterprise  and 
refined  taste,  to  surround,  adorn  and  beautify  his 


private  residence,  situated  near  the  center  of  the 
grounds.  To  this  end  the  continents  of  both 
America  and  Europe  were  searched  to  procure 
every  variety  of  ornamental  trees,  exotics,  indi- 
genous plants,  or  articles  of  rare  rirtue  and 
value.  For  us  to  attempt  to  describe  these  beau- 
tiful grounds,  and  do  justice  to  the  subject,  were 
we  able,  would  take  a larger  book  than  the  Tour- 
ist. They  must  be  seen  to  be  appreciated.  You 
will  find  in  the  “Art  Gallery  ” rare  paintings  and 
statuary  ; in  the  “ Zoological  department  a great 
variety  of  different  kinds  of  wild  animals,  including 
the  California  lion,  and  a mammoth  grizzly  bear, 
weighing  1,600  pounds;  also  a great  variety  of 
California  birds. 

In  these  grounds  are  towering  evergreen  trees 
and  crystal  lakes,  oriental  arbors  and  beautiful 
statuary,  delightful  nooks  and  shady  retreats, 
with  creeping  vines,  fragrant  fiowers,  sparkling 
fountains,  sweet  music,  and,  above  all,  the  glo- 
rious California  sky.  Possessed  of  all  these  lux- 
uriant surroundings,  and  with  ample  income, 
could  any  person  be  surprised  that  Mr.  Wood- 
ward should  persistently  decline  to  open  them  to 
the  curious  public?  But  the  time  came  at  last. 
It  was  when  the  soldiers  and  sailors  of  this  coun- 
try lay  bleeding  in  the  hospitals,  on  the  ships,  in 
the  camps,  and  on  the  battle-fields,  with  widows, 
orphans,  suffering,  and  death  on  every  side.  The 
sanitary  fund  was  low.  Money  must  be  had! 
Then  it  was  that  his  noble  heart  leaped  to  the  res- 
cue. The  grounds  were  then  thrown  open  to  the 
public  in  aid  of  the  Sanitary  Fund.  The  re- 
ceipts were  princely ; and  no  one  can  say  how 
many  lives  were  saved,  or  the  sufferings  of  the 
last  moments  of  life  alleviated,  by  the  aid  of  the 
generous  proprietor  of  the  Woodward  Gardens? 
These  gardens  were  opened  permanently  to  the 
public  in  May,  1866.  They  occupy  five  acres  of 
ground,  lour  of  which  are  bounded  by  Market, 
Mission,  13th  and  14th  streets,  with  one  acre  to 
the  south  of  14th  street,  connected  by  tunnel  un- 
der that  street  from  the  main  garden. 

No.  45  Annex.  The  Oeysers— No.  17  of 
our  large  series  of  views  gives  a very  truthful 
picture  of  this  wonderful  region.  Here  extremes 
meet  in  a most  astonishing  way,  if  the  diversity 
of  mineral  springs  can  be  called  extremes,  as  they 
are  over  two  hundred  in  number  and  possess 
every  variety  of  characteristics;  some  are  hot 
and  others  are  icy  cold;  some  contain  white 
sulphur,  some  black,  some  red,  or  yellow;  others 
alum— and  boiling  alum  at  that;  others  iron; 

others  coda;  others oh,  well,  it’s  idle  to 

go  on  particularizing.  You  have  but  to  name 
your  spring,  and  it  is  re  dy  for  you.  Side  by  side 
boil  and  bubble  the  hottest  of  hot  springs,  and 
the  coldest  of  cold  ones,  being  frequently  but  a 
few  inches  apart.  Indeed,  so  closely  do  they  lie 
together  that  the  greatest  care  must  be  exercised 
lest  one  shall  step  knee-deep  into  a boiling  cal- 
dron or  an  icy  bath.  Even  the  rocks  become 
thorouguly  heated,  and  quantities  of  magnesia, 
sulphur,  alum,  epsom  salts,  and  many  other 
chemicals,  lie  thickly  strewn  about,  making  a 
sort  of  druggist’s  paradise.  The  noises,  too,  and 
the  smells,  are  as  diversified  as  the  character  of 
the  springs;  some  hiss,  some  murmur,  some  roar. 
Of  these  springs,  one  is  known  as  the  “ Devil’s 
Grist-mill”;  another,  the  “Calliope”;  then  the 
“ Steamboat  Geyser,”  the  “Witch’s  Caldron,”  the 
“Mountain  of  Fire,”  the  latter  of  which  contains 
more  than  a hundred  apertures,  and  in  all  of 
these  are  shown,  each  for  itself,  some  interesting 
and  remarkable  peculiarity.  (See  route  to  the 
Geysers  on  pages  222  and  224.) 


319 

ckofutt’s  new 

OVERLAND 

TOURIST 

4G  Annex.  The  large  view, No.  18,  o 
San  Francisco  and  the  Golden  (iate,  is  a real  mul 
a complete  bird’s-eye  view  of  th^ 
city  01  San  Francisco  and  its  surroundings,  cov 
ering  a scope  of  country  about  twelve  miles  ir 
o the  Golden  Gate,  portions  o 

San  Fancisco  Bay,  the  Pacific  ocean  in  the  dis 
of  the  Central  Pacific  rail 
road  in  the  foreground,  from  whence  passenger; 
are  transferred  across  the  bay  to  “Frisco.”  Thi; 
beautifin  picture  has  been  prepared  and  engravec 
book.  It  shows  what  the  God 
vW  Progress  ’’-as  represented  hy 

view  No.  1— has  accomplished  within  the  past 
1^®  ^ appropriate  illustration 

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Wo.  48  Annex.  Viewing  Pro^reoci— 

SiTill  Pacific  ESTrold- 

and,  in  f ct,  for  many  years  afferwards— the  loco- 
motives,  cars,  and  all  persons  connected  with  th^e  i 

by  the  In- 

Tdnoinl^®  through  which  It  was  built.  1 

fire-wagon  —and  the  long  tra  ns  of  i 
ca  s heap  wagon  no  hoss” — received  the  In- 
dians’special  attention;  and  they  would  gather 
around  on  the  hills  at  first,  and  then  cautfousfv 

approach  and  watch  every  movement Iving 

around  for  days  and  months  at  a time.  Fr  m thi 
commencement  of  the  building  of  the  road  throu^yh 
d^anqh^n^H^  country  until  its  completion,  the  In- 
d ans  had  a wholesome  fear  of  the  “fire-wagons.” 
They  would  often  attack  small  parties  of  graders 
or  stragglers  from  the  camps;  but  only  iiftvvro; 
three  instances  did  they  attempt  to  disturb  the 
trains,  and  in  those  cases  they  were  pun- 
that  ever  afterward  they  declm-ed 
‘fire-wagon”  “bad  medicine.” 

u ^ wagon  train  is  called  the 

right  wing,”  the  other  half  the  “ left  wing.”  In 
forming  a coral,  the  wagons  of  the  “right  wing” 

h right-hand  side  of  the  ' 

road,  hauled  close  together,  teams  on  the  outside • ' 
“ left  wing  form  on  the  left  side  in  the  same  ! 

anner,  leaving  a passage-way  open  at  the  front  j 

and  rear  ends  of  each  “ wing,”  called  “ gaps.” 

AND  PACIFIC  COAST  GUIDE. 


320 


The  illustration  on  page  153  represents  a small 
party  of  Apache  Mohaves,  headed  by  their  famous 
war  chief,  Mi-ra-ha,  in  1868,  who,  having  heard 
about  the  terrible  “fire- wagons,”  left  their  country, 
in  northern  Arizona,  and  made  a pilgrimage  to  the 
northward,  many  hundred  miles,  to  view  the  great 
curiosity.  We  learned  from  a haif-breed,  on  a re- 
cent visit  to  Arizona,  that  Mi-ra-ha,  after  his  re- 
ture  to  Arizona,  resolved  to  gather  his  forces  and 
capture  one  of  these  Pacific  Railroad  “fire-wagons. 
But  as  Gen.  Crook  made  it  very  lively  for  him  at 
home  for  many  years  after  his  return,  and  as  Capt. 
Porter  sent  him  to  his  “happy  hunting  ground,” 
in  1876,  he  has  probably  got  all  he  can  attend  to. 

Ko.  40  Annex.  Palace  Hotel  at  San 
iPrancisco— This  monster  hotel  of  the  world,  is 
situated  in  the  city  of  San  Francisco  occupying 
one  entire  block  of  ground,  344  by  265  feet, 
Bounded  by  New  Montgomery,  Market,  Annie  and 
Jessie  streets.  It  is  seven  stories  high  (115  feet), 
the  foundation  walls  are  twelve  feet  thick,  while 
the  exterior  and  interior  walls  range  from  114  feet 
to  4 V^feet  in  thickness. 

The  foundation  wall^,  at  their  base,  are  built 
with  inverted  arches.  All  exterior,  interior  and 
partition  walls,  at  every  five  feet,  commencing 
from  the  bottom  of  the  foundation,  are  banded  to- 
jgether  with  bars  of  iron,  forming,  as  it  were,  a 
perfect  iron  basket-work  filled  in  with  brick.  The 
quantity  of  iron  so  used  increases  in  every  story 
towards  the  roof,  and  in'the  upper  story  the  iron 
bands  are  only  two  feet  apart. 

The  roof  is  of  tin,  the  partitions  of  brick  and  the 
cornice  of  zinc  and  iron.  The  building  has  three 
courts,  the  center  one  having  an  iron-framed  glass 
covering,  and  is  144  by  84  feet,  with  a drive-way 
and  sidewalk  ouening  on  New  Montgomery  street, 
forty  feet  wide.  The  two  outer  courts,  from  the 
basement  level,  are  each  22  by  135  feet,  with  two 
drive-ways,  20  feet  wide,  one  Irom  Market  and  An- 
nie streets,  and  one  from  Annie  and  Jessie  streets. 
These  are  connected  by  two  brick-arched  passage- 
ways, ten  feet  in  width,  allowing  ample  space  for 
a four-in-hand  team  to  pass  under  and  through 
them. 

Besides  the  city  water-works,  a supply  of  water 
comes  from  lour  artesian  wells  of  a ten-inch  bore, 
which  have  a capacity  of  28,000  gallons  per  hour. 
A reservoir  is  located  under  the  center  court,  cap- 
able of  containing  630,000  gallons.  On  the  roof  are 
seven  tanks,  which  will  contain  128,000  gallons. 

The  hotel  is  supplied  with  two  steam  force 
pumps  for  water,  two  additional  for  fire,  five  ele- 
vators, together  with  all  the  modern  improvements, 
and  built  throughout  in  the  most  substantial  man- 
ner. (See  illustration  page  213.) 

No.  50  Annex.  Pares  to  Black  Hills — 
From  Omaha,  1st  class,  $45;  emigrant,  $25;— 
from  Cheyenne  or  Sidney,  $40;  from  Ogden,  Utah, 
$70;  from  San  Francisco,  $116. 

Passengers  can  have  choice  of  route,  via  Sidney 
or  Cheyenne,  as  the  rates  are  the  same. 

No.  51  Annex.  Books  of  Reference— 
“ The  Kesources  of  California,’’  by  John  S.  Hit- 
tell.  A.  Roman  & Co.,  San  Francisco.  This  is  a 
valuable  work. 

“Scenes  op  Wonder  and  Curiosity  in  Cali- 
fornia,” by  J.  M.  Hutchings.  A.  Roman  & Co., 
San  Francisco. 

“Nordoff’s  California  Harper  &Bro.,  New 
York. 

Wentworth’s  '‘'"Besources  of  California^'''  a 
monthly  newspaper. 

“Between  the  Gates;”  by  B,  F. Taylor.  S.  C. 
Griggs  A Co.,  Chicago.  This  is  a perfect  gem  of  a 
work.  The  descriptions  are  of  the  finest  pen 


pictures  of  California  and  the  “ Overland  Route,” 
we  ever  saw.  laylor’s  ingenuity  as  a word  painter 
has  few  equals;  he  is  a hiyu  chief. 

Langley’s  “Pacific  Coast  Business  Directory,” 
which  comprises  everything  of  the  sort  west  of 
the  Rocky  Mountains— is  an  invaluable  work  of  the 
kind. 

The  beientific  Press  f by  Dewey  & Co.,  San 
Francisco,  is  a Journal  that  everybody  interested 
in— or  who  wants  to  know  anything  about— the 
Pacific  Coast  should  be  sure  to  read. 

“Arizona  as  it  is,”  by  H.  C.  Hodge,  Esq., 
Hurd  & H<  ughton,  New  York,  is  the  most  com- 
plete work  on  Arizona  ever  published. 

In  Press:  “Songs  op  the  Southwest,”  by 
Theodore  F.  Price,  will  contain  graphic  poetical 
descriptions  of  the  Trans-Mississippi  country,  east 
of  the  Rocky  Mountains.  This  book  will  be  found 
an  invaluable  work  for  all  those  who  wish  to  pre- 
serve the  memory  of  scenes  and  incidents  of  this 
most  beautiful  and  romantic  country. 

No.  53  Annex.  ‘‘  Prickey,”  the  Horned 
Toad. — This  singular  little  member  of  the  lizard 
species  is  certainly  a native  Calilornian.  It  is 
found  upon  nearly  every  dry  hill,  or  gravelly  plain; 
and  although  it  is  rare  in  some  districts,  in  others 
it  is  still  common.  There  are  several  varieties  and 
sizes  of  it,  and  all  perfectly  harmless.  It  lives 
chiefly  on  flies  and  small  insects.  A California 
friend  of  ours  had  a pair  of  these  picketed  in 
front  of  his  cabin  for  over  three  months ; and,  one 
morning,  the  male  toad  wound  itself  around  the 
picket  pin  and  strangled  to  death,  and  the  same  day 
the  female  followed  his  example.  Upon  a post 
mortem  examination  of  the  female,  fifteen  eggs 
were  found  about  the  size  and  shape  of  a small 
wren’s  egg.  (ISee  illustration,  page  115.) 

No.  53  Annex.  Yo-Jj^emite  and  Big 
Trees— By  the  new  Madera  Route,  passen- 
gers take  sleeping  cars  at  San  Francisco,  at 
4 p.  M.,  take  supper  at  Lathron,  at  8 p.  m.. 
and  arrive  at  Madera  at  12,  midnight,  occupy  the 
cars  till  six  the  next  morning,  then  take  one  of 
Kimball’s  palace  coaches,  and  behind  “six-in- 
hand,”  start  for  Fresno  Flats,  35  miles  distant,  and 
take  dinner ; thence  20  miles  to  Clarks,  and  23  miles 
further— 78  miles  from  Madera— reach  the  valley  at 
8 o’clock  P.  M.  This  route  is  via  Fresno  and  lUari- 
posa  big  tree  groves,  and  it  is  claimed,  saves  one 
day  in  time  over  all  other  routes. 

Returning,  a route  can  be  taken  via  Vernal  and 
Nevada  Falls,  Glacier’s  Fomt  and  Sentinel  Dome, 
and  thence  to  Clark’s,  saving  a (iay  in  time  by  so 
doing.  Parties,  whose  “time  is  money,”  can  leave 
San  Francisco  and  make  the  “round  trip”  inside  of 
four  days.  Return  parties,  who  choose,  can  take 
the  route  via  Mariposa  to  Mercede.  Tickets  are 
good  until  used.  Overland  tickets,  including  Yo- 
Semite  and  the  “Big  Trees,”  can  be  purchased  at 
all  the  principal  ticket  offices  in  the  east. 

Another  route  is  to  Mercede,  by  same  train, 
stop  over  at  the  El  CapRan  Hotel,  and  next  mor- 
ning take  coaches  via  either  Snelling  and  Coulter- 
ville,  or  via  Mariposa.  Taking  the  (Joulterville 
route,  12  miles,  at  Marble  Springs,  is  Bower’s 
Cave;  20  more.  Hazel  Green.  From  Hazel  Green, 
elevation  6.699  feet,  a fine  view  of  the  great  San 
Joaquin  Valley  can  be  obtained.  Here  the  Mc- 
Lane  wagon  road  leads  off  to  the  Mercede  Grove  of 
Trees.  At  Crane  Flat,  34  miles  from  Coulterville, 
a trail  leads  off  to  the  Tuolumne  Grove  of  Big 
Trees,  one  mile  distant.  There  are  31  trees,  the 
largest  being  36  feet  in  diameter.  The  first  view 
of  Yo-Semite  is  had  at  Valley  View,  40  miles  from 
Coulterville  and  12  miles  from  Yo-Semite,  Dis- 
1 tance  by  this  route  about  95  miles. 


321 


ceoputt’s  xew  oveeeand  toueist 


The  Manposa  route  is  via  the  town  of  Mari- 
posa, 40  miles,  thence  to  Clark’s,  31  miles.  At 
^Ao'^-  '^*^***  leads  to  the  Mariposa  grove  of 
tree8-^2(  in  number — the  largest  being  34  feet  in 
S'™™  Clark’s,  it  is  33  miiesVo  the  va“ 
ley— making,  by  this  route,  100  miles  from  Mercede. 


Annex.  Our  Artists-The  greater 

cnted  was  exe- 

of  New  York,  and  C.  W. 
Chandler,  of  liavenswood,  Illinois.  Nearly  all  the 
luclHidins  “Utah’s  Best  Crop/’ 
Woman  ot  the  Period”  and  “Brigham  Young,” 


duu  jjriifuam  lounp"’ 

photographs,  by  Mr.  Bross, 
while  the  ‘‘Orange  Orcnard.”  “The  Loop,”  “Cross- 


ir. — +V, — o Oi'chard,  - iuejLioop,' 

Christo  Mountains,”  “Yucca 

rrt”ed  hyte“h\n'l'l^e^.  ^ 

The  photographs  w^ere  by  Savage,  of  Salt  Lake 
Srpo  and  Houseworth,  of  San  Fran- 

ommen^ng^^^^^  artists,  we  take  pleasure  in  rec- 

1 9?nnn  Arizona— is  a Territory  of 

+ui’ double  the  size  of 
tne  State  oi  Pennsylvania,  and,  if  reports  are  true 
a wealth  of  minerals /ar  exceeding-any 
portion  of  the  United  States.  Indian  difficulties 
P retarding  the  settlement 
Territory,  but  happily  they  are  now  at  an 
end,  and  the  proximity  of  the  “iron  horse”  has  had 
direct  attention  to  this  heretofore 
almost  inaccessible  region,  the  result  of  which  will 
soon  enable  the  land  of  Arizunna—^^The  Beau- 
^ come  forward  and  demand 
admission  into  the  Union  of  States  as  one  more 
star  in  the  bright  constellation.  Spanish  Adven- 
^^i^ona  as  early  as  1540,  but  no 
permanent  settlement  was  made  until  1560,  when 
the  Jesuit  Fathers  settled  with  their  followers  at 
Tucson.  In  1725  there  were  thirty  mi&sions  within 
the  present  limits  of  Arizona,  besides  seventy-one 

Mission- 

these  missions  were  in  the 
height  of  their  prosperity,  and  from  which  time 
they  commenced  to  decline,  owing  principally  to 
h^rnp^  difficulties.^  Many  of  the  missions  were 
burned  and  the  priests  murdered.  Arizona  was 

of  Guadalupe 

Hidalgo,  in  1843,  and  by  the  Gadsden  Purchase  in 

^^oific  Railroad  Company  were 
the  first  to  baild  a railroad  to  the  line  of  Arizona 
and,  we  believe,  possess  the  ability  to  complete 
Territory  from  west  to  east 
f Government  grant  them  the  privilege, 

intentions  oi  the  company  we  know 
nothing  further  than  the  common  report,  that  they 


have  all  the  material  at  hand  to  complete  two  hn 
dred  miles  more,  just  as  soon  as  they  a?e  alW 
so  to  do.  That  the  route  would  be  a profitable  or 
and  one  greatly  needed,  there  can  be  little  douh 
traversing,  as  it  will,  one  of  the  richest  mi^S 
and  pastoral  regions  in  the  world, 

€Jold— It  is  reported  that  Sir  Frai 
discoverer  of  gold  on^th 
Pacific  Coast.  He  landed  on  the  cS  a f 
miles  north  of  the  Bay  of  San  FrLffisco  in  h 

here  to  he  taken  ul 


and%ilver^’^^YittT^d-^®^®^“^^  quantity  of  got 
and.mlver.  Yet  the  discovery  was  not  followed  uV 


VTC40 juunuiioweau 

^rape  Vine— The  largest  grape  vine  i- 
California  covered  about  one  Icre  ofland  Li 
bore  a crop  of  12,000  pounds  of  grapes  a year  I 
IS  Wh  ^ half  feet  in  circumferenceflnd  si 

leet  high,  before  branching  out.  It  was  duo-  ni 
and  taken  to  the  Centennial  Exhibition  in  IsIg.  ; 


“Where  Can  I Go  in  the  Wester 
Country  to  Make  Money  ? When  w 
are  in  the  Eastern  States,  that  question  i 
one  that  we  are  called  upon  almost  daily  t 
answer.  Mr.  Greeley  once  advised  the  youn 
man  to  “Go  West,”  but  did  not  tell  him  wha 
to  do,  to  succeed.  We  answer  the  questior 
unhesitatingly : You  can  make  money  ani 
WHERE  in  the  great  West,  if  you  will  peel  off  you 
coat  and  go  to  work.  But  if  you  have  no  mone^ 
and  are  afraid  or  ashamed  to  work,  stay  at  home 
if  you  have  one,  and  let  your  friends  support  you 
It  would  take  a million  such  to  make  one  liv 
Western  man.  But  if  you  have  any  ambition  an^ 
self-reliance,  and  will  work  at  the  first  opporti 
nity-and  wrll  hunt  around  for  the  opportunity- 
will  let  gambling,  whisky  and  kindred  rices  alom 
you  can  make  “a  bushel  of  money,”  inafewyearj 
anywhere . The  want  of  the  Far  West  is  good,  hoi 
est,  reliable,  steady  men.  Make  a good  reputatio\ 
—that  is  the  main  qualification.  Do  not  be  afral 
to  wear  out  a pick,  shovel  or  drill,  or  to  engage  h 
any  other  honest  labor — but  don’t  hunt  for  : 
clerkship  or  expect  to  be  petted,  or  wait  for  somi 
one  to  proffer  you  nuggets  of  gold;  but  remember 
it  must  be  your  own  industry,  your  own  energy 
your  own  good  manner,  that  will  bring  success.'’ 


I 


I 

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